


Caught In A Comet's Tail

by Kairousels



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 03:31:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 64,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7741744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairousels/pseuds/Kairousels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lead Commander Do Kyungsoo is a space archaeologist tasked to study a mysterious race that fell off the radar twenty earth-years ago, but what happens when he meets Kim Jongin, a man claiming to be the very last of his kind?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> warnings: technically interracial sex but it's not as bad as you think, 64k of sam's attempt to create a universe

 

 

 

Kyungsoo sighs and looks out the window of the small transport ship he’s currently on. There was a large planet with a mix of orange hues and bright, neon yellows passing by. He leans his head on the cool glass and closes his eyes.  
  
As of right now, he is on his way to the Gamma Pavonis System to visit planet HR-2245. At least that is what the Intergalactic Government Space Agency has decided to name it. It’s real name, the name given to it by its people, is not yet known, but that is one of the jobs Kyungsoo is here to perform.  
  
Being well known for their strong work ethic and passion for what they do, Kyungsoo and his team have recently been called in to investigate HR-2245 due to the discovery of a civilization that was previously thought extinct. He and his team of archaeologists will have to spend the next several weeks on the foreign planet. Usually he’s ecstatic to begin work but Kyungsoo feels deep in his gut that this isn’t going to be an ordinary case.  
  
Due to circumstances with the ongoing rebellion in the area, the Intergalactic Government Space Agency has seen it fit to tag along for security precautions. Kyungsoo really doesn’t care about the rebellion or its nearby incidents since it really doesn’t concern him. Why would extremists of any kind even bother him? He’s an archaeologist that specializes in extinct species and cultures, not some high ranking politician or councilmen. He even tried expressing this to his superiors at the Intergalactic Peace Corps but they told him to just go with it. Kyungsoo just grumbled and begrudgingly packed his bags with a guard waiting to escort him to his transport ship.  
  
Usually the two agencies do not work together. One would think peace and government would run along the same lines but not in this case. Many fights often break out between the two so Kyungsoo is determined to avoid any possible quarrels. Afterall, he’s going to need to devote all of his time and effort to this new case.  
  
“Lead Commander Do?”  
  
Kyungsoo opens his eyes and looks at the soldier in front of him, his badge shining brightly on his chest from the artificial lights of the ship. The obnoxious “IGSA” resting in the middle of it just makes his mood even more irritable. “Yes?”  
  
The soldier looks nervous. Probably because Kyungsoo doesn’t look entirely welcoming at the moment. “We’re arriving at HR-2245 in a few moments.”  
  
The Lead Commander tries to put on a friendly smile since it’s not the soldier’s fault that Kyungsoo’s in such a sour mood. “Thank you.”  
  
The man nods and turns around to go back to his seat, a large tail swishing behind him. Kyungsoo stares and realizes the other is from Warden, a planet whose inhabitants are known for their superior strength and other abilities, their most recognizable traits being that of their powerful tail and raised skin that forms strange patterns all over their body. It figures he would be here considering the Intergalactic Government Space Agency usually takes recruits that are Wardaian over any other species since they are easier to give orders to. Mostly because they don’t usually question their superiors, unlike humans who are notoriously known for their individuality and personal morals. Surprisingly there aren’t many races like that out in the galaxy, though this has caused problems in the past.  
  
Kyungsoo, though, earns a lot of respect from his men simply because of his race and while that doesn’t really sit properly with him since he believes respect should be earned not given freely, he can’t complain too much because it gets his job done quickly and painlessly. Many humans are in the Intergalactic Peace Corps, but Kyungsoo is one of the few who have slowly worked themselves up in the ranks over the past few years. Of course, this is probably due to the fact he comes from an influential family but Kyungsoo likes to think he’s made a name for himself all on his own. His passion for what he does clearly shows those around him that he’s serious and that for him, this isn’t  _just_  a job.  
  
And it’s really not. For Kyungsoo, his job is his life. He loves learning about other races and uncovering secrets that were once buried with their people, never before seen by the rest of the galaxy. He truly enjoys studying the culture or architecture of ancient civilizations because they are so different from his own. He could gush about Calyfreighgan pottery and symbols for  _hours_  or draw so many sketches of ancient Pojersan hieroglyphics that you’ll be seeing double.  
  
His father, of course, doesn’t approve of his “little obsession” and every time Kyungsoo travels back home for the holidays, he rolls his eyes at his son’s stories. It figures, since his only wish was for Kyungsoo to become a Lead Commander in the  _Military_ , but he really can't complain too much since his son indeed made it to the Lead Commanding Officer position. He just wishes Kyungsoo would stop playing with his little brushes in the dirt and do real work. Kyungsoo, however, pays no mind. At least he has his mother rooting for him.  
  
Kyungsoo figures his father can just have fun wasting all of his family’s money on buying abandoned planets on the far end of the galaxy. He really doesn’t need his support anymore anyway.  
  
Kyungsoo sighs, looking back at the report sent in from his team already on the ground. They were sent a week ahead of him due to complications with his own clearance to go to this sector, so they’ve been able to get a grasp at what exactly they will be dealing with as far as the case goes. Kyungsoo runs his fingers along the three page report and cringes just like the first time he saw it.  
  
His usual archaeological digs render pages upon pages of information examining his team’s findings, some sections having a  _‘refer to holopad for more information’_  because there is just too much to physically put together, but not with this case.  
  
In this case, there was nothing.  
  
Absolutely nothing.  
  
And that’s the strange part. The Intergalactic Government Space Agency has records of a civilization once thriving on HR-2245, but they were previously thought to still be in their primal stage of life so their planet was deemed off limits for visiting. Now, however, there has been an account that this civilization was way beyond this stage in evolution, that they were intelligent enough to make contact with other species outside of their planet if they wanted to. The only problem with this source is that it was filed by an old time traveler who says he was there on the planet when the people were thriving, but when he returned ten years into the future to visit again, they were gone without a trace.  
  
Kyungsoo was called in specifically because this was such a strange case. Usually the civilizations the Intergalactic Peace Corps studies have been extinct for  _centuries_ , not a measly couple of decades. Kyungsoo figures no one would have payed particular attention if there had been physical evidence of the species dying there. For example, if there was a natural disaster on the planet and it wiped out the entire race. In this instance there would be evidence like charred remains, flooded homes, or at least something of the sort. It’s sad and unfortunate, but it does happen.  
  
However with this case, it seems the people are just  _missing_ , not dead. But then again, there would be traces right? All he knows is that the only physical evidence they have of this previous culture is the architecture they have left behind. Kyungsoo spent most of the duration of his trip with his eyes glued to his holopad, examining the pictures his colleagues took of the beautiful pillars and temples carved into a massive cave. There were strange symbols decorating the sides that Kyungsoo swears he had seen once before, but he would need to check all of his notes once he gets settled in at the base camp. He thinks he knows exactly  _who_  this civilization is, but he really hopes he’s wrong because that just means things are going to get even more complicated.  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head. He can already feel a headache coming on from overthinking everything.  
  
The ship he’s currently on vibrates just a little as it begins to descend into HR-2245’s atmosphere and the Lead Commander begins to gather his papers and holopad to put them back into his briefcase. He looks out the window and sighs dejectedly.  
  
“Please don’t be Daknae,” he whispers to himself, earning a look anyway from the Wardaian guard sitting a few seats away from him.  
  


 

~

  
  
  
Daknae.  
  
Of course it would be Daknae.  
  
Kyungsoo kicks a pebble lying in his path with all his might. “Great. Just great.”  
  
The Lead Commander landed a couple of hours ago expecting to be greeted with the usual chaos that comes with an excavation, but it was eerily silent when he walked through the camp. There had been a sinking feeling in his chest and when he found some of his men just staring blankly at their holopads, it only intensified. After an hour long meeting and dejected sighs when Kyungsoo brought out his notes from his previous cases, everyone had come to the conclusion that the civilization that was once thriving here was definitely Daknae in origin.  
  
Daknaes are a very conservative race and because of this fact, little to nothing is known about them. The most contact anyone has really had with them are through their lovely carvings and buildings that are somehow spread out across the galaxy on miscellaneous planets. Most of these planets seem to be barren and void of any other intelligent lifeforms and are only visited if there are problems in that sector or if there is an archeological site that needs to be excavated.  
  
No one has really thought to research into this mysterious culture mainly due to the fact that no one’s really even confirmed their existence. Conspiracy theorists like to try to come to their own conclusions, of course. That is, saying things like Daknaes are actually the first beings ever in existence which is why there are traces of them across the galaxy, but Kyungsoo’s never really been one for theories. All he knows now is that he’s got a firsthand account of the Daknae people and a whole  _city_  to research, rather than the previously discovered small temples or shrines found on other planets.  
  
The Lead Commander runs his hands down a large column reaching all the way to the ceiling of the cave, the smooth texture reminding him of the tiles his mother had installed in their kitchen back on Earth. He glances at the ceiling above him and sees colors mixing beautifully together. Greens, blues, pinks, and yellows swirling, joining in the middle. The longer he stares, the more he swears he sees a vague outline of an eye encasing the colors.  
  
His eyes move to the steps beneath him, a bit of water dripping on them from the ceiling that arcs hundreds of meters above him.Kyungsoo holds out his hand and collects a bit in his palm. He briefly sticks his tongue out to taste it and furrows his eyebrows.  
  
If there is one thing that irks Kyungsoo about this case so much, it’s the fact that nothing made sense. The civilization was only here for a decade or less, but yet they are all gone without a trace. The planet itself doesn't seem too hard to live on. The water doesn’t taste too acidic or dirty to drink and there is enough oxygen that even Kyungsoo can walk around without his oxygen converter. Then again, maybe this place isn’t suitable for a Daknae.  
  
But if this was true, wouldn't there be bodies as evidence?  
  
Kyungsoo gently made his way down the steps to another area that had a coliseum stretching across the back end of the cave. He had to squint his eyes because of the artificial lights latched to the walls but he couldn’t help but to look in awe at it’s spectacular size and design. When he spots a walking area at the top he immediately begins his trek up. He’s breathing heavy and wiping some perspiration from his forehead by the time he gets there, but when he looks out at the rest of the abandoned city, he’s happy he did it.  
  
From there, Kyungsoo could see most, if not all of the buildings. Some, as he was told by his team, are actually built underground, but they haven’t been explored just yet. Kyungsoo has a small smile forming on his face when he takes in the entire sight and basks in the beautiful architecture.  
  
He was just about to climb back down when he notices something strange. All of the buildings, including those not carved into the walls of the cave, are all facing the same direction. When he looks harder, he sees that all seem to be built around a plaza area in the very middle.  
  
It strikes the Lead Commander as odd since some cultures do this to show importance of something. For humans in their earlier days, most towns based their lives around religion. Because of this, they would build their towns distinctly around a church so the church would signify the center of everything they do. Kyungsoo briefly wonders if the Daknaes thought the same way when they decided the layout of their city.  
  
He starts daydreaming about what could possibly be in the center as he makes his way down from the massive coliseum, his stride long and quick. Could it be a sculptor or some sort of artifact? Any sort of discovery besides more unknown symbols would be great at the moment, even if it really doesn’t explain the disappearance of the people. They just need  _something_.   
  
As Kyungsoo approaches the opening in the center of the area, he realizes it’s much bigger than he originally thought it was. He scanned the area and made a face when all he saw was more symbols decorating the ground like some sort of canvas, all circling around a center point. Following the lining of the buildings, Kyungsoo ends up in the very middle, the spot he’s standing on currently covered with a thin layer of dust. He gets on his knees and wipes the sediment away, black carvings showing themselves once he’s done.  
  
Lines intricately follow each other in a hexagonal shape. If Kyungsoo looks at it closely, he can see there is a pattern that makes the shape into some sort of maze. He drags his fingers through the pathways between the lines until he makes it to the center. He tilts his head when he spots yet another marking there and leans in to get a good look at it. He must look like an idiot right now, face basically squashed against the cave floor, his pert butt being held in the air as his knees dig into the hard ground.  
  
From the looks of it, the marking is a large triangle with crooked lines running in a circle in the middle of the figure. There is a dot in the center that makes the entire thing look strangely like an eye. Kyungsoo briefly thinks back to those illuminati stories he learned about in ancient history class, but dismisses the thought.  
  
He raises himself to sit on his knees and looks around once again. Whatever this symbol is, it seemed to hold great meaning to its people.  
  
When he sees some of the lights in the far areas of the city being shut off, he begrudgingly gets up to head back to his sleeping quarters at camp. His team must be deciding to retire from work early tonight so he should probably do the same. Before he makes it to the mouth of the cave, however, nearly all of the lights are turned off and a steady blue glow takes their place. Some of the glowing breaks off into orbs and floats around, some landing in the palm of Kyungsoo’s outstretched hands. He and his colleagues have identified the glowing as a non-harmful bacteria thriving in the cave that illuminates itself when there is no outside light. The Lead Commander gives one last look at the city, smiling at the natural beauty of the cave before leaving it behind for the night.  
  
He’s almost to the base camp a few meters away when he feels like he’s being watched. His gaze briefly flies to the dense forest close by, then shakes his head. He’s been staring at symbols for too long. His brain must be hallucinating.  
  


 

~

  
  
  
Three weeks fly by and Kyungsoo still has nothing to show his superiors besides soil samples and pictures of the city itself. Day by day, they seem to uncover more and more unknown symbols that it’s become ridiculous. Kyungsoo swears they are beginning to haunt him in his dreams for God’s sake.  
  
He and his people have come to the conclusion that the Daknae race seems to have two different ways of writing. Some through characters and others through what seems to be drawings. There are patterns, but they aren’t visible to the naked eye. Instead, the Lead Commander and his team have to upload the symbols to their computer system and let the technology find the patterns for them. One might call this ‘progress’, but then again they still have no clue as to what any of their meanings are and therefore, this information is practically useless until they get some sort of translator. Kyungsoo is on the verge of pulling his hair out again when his right hand man, Minseok, knocks on his door.  
  
Minseok is from a planet that Kyungsoo has never been able to properly pronounce. The latter tells him that most are unable to say it since it’s not only very long, but also has several combined sounds that most languages in the galaxy don’t have. They had met in college years ago and previously roomed together. Kyungsoo considers him to be his closest friend and trusts him with his entire being, but sometimes he has to tell Minseok to be careful with him. The other’s species is known for being far stronger than humans and since Kyungsoo isn’t very strong by a human’s standards, he is definitely no match against Minseok. Kyungsoo figured that out the first time Minseok playfully punched him on the arm. The next day the human had a black and purple bruise and some major swelling. Needless to say, Minseok stays pretty cautious about his strength around the other.  
  
He also has to remember to keep his anger to a minimum. Kyungsoo never really asked about it but he notices things around Minseok would begin to ice over when he so much as grits his teeth in annoyance at something, even if it’s just small and insignificant. Usually Kyungsoo just gives him some breathing room when he feels the temperature around start to drop a few degrees. Afterall, constantly becoming a human ice popsicle on the account of your best friend’s anger isn’t really the ideal way to live your life.  
  
Minseok timidly peaks his head through the door with an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry to bother you Lead Commander, but the witness just arrived at the main ship.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods and thanks the latter, getting up and gathering a few things spread out on his desk. Minseok took that as his cue to leave and quietly shut the door when he left. He finds it strange to behave so stiffly to Minseok. Afterall, they have been friends for years, but regulations say that since Kyungsoo is a higher commanding officer Minseok must treat him as such. It’s a shame, but the two understand. They talk to each other comfortably off duty so it’s fine.  
  
The Lead Commander stopped in front of the large mirror and straightened his stark white uniform, adjusting some of the pins on the side of his chest before putting on his hat. He’s always hated wearing this uniform, usually opting for baggy shirts and cargo pants when he’s working outside at the excavation sites. However, it’s standard protocol for him to wear his uniform when given orders to travel to a specific sector or when he’s on board any official ship. He sighs and makes his way outside to get into the small transport ship. When he gets all settled in he closes his eyes, figuring a small cat nap wouldn’t hurt since he really hasn’t gotten proper sleep since he arrived. It seems that paranoid feeling of being watched is beginning to get to him, even making him stay up long hours into the night.  
  


 

~

  
  
  
Kyungsoo is shaken awake and ushered to a small interrogation room as soon as he boards and is met by a very kind, old man, who he learns is also human. The Lead Commander grins and shakes his hand, a gesture usually only humans seem to show to each other since other races usually find it strange. The man’s eyes lit up in happiness and gleefully gives him a small bow as well.  
  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commanding Officer of this vessel. May I ask who you are?”  
  
The old man gave a crooked grin. “My name’s Kim Jongdae. It’s nice to meet another member of my race. You’re even Korean too! Today’s just full of surprises.”  
  
Kyungsoo gives a polite smile and gestured to the chairs. “Shall we sit?”  
  
Jongdae nods and took his seat, Kyungsoo taking the one directly across from him. “I hope you don’t mind that this session will be recorded. I’m afraid we can’t leave out any details in the case.”  
  
Jongdae shakes his head. “No, no. Record all you want. I don’t blame you for not wanting to rely on memory. It’s not the most reliable thing, especially for an old man like me.” Jongdae lets out a loud laugh and the Lead Commander feels his eye twitch.  
  
“Right. Well let me just begin this by saying you are definitely a hard man to track down Mr. Kim.”  
  
“Please call me Jongdae. Mr. Kim was my father. Or at least I think he was,” the time traveler pauses and then whisperes “maybe he was my son” while looking off into space.  
  
Kyungsoo blinks and Jongdae grins again. “Time travel can be a nasty thing. It messes with your head. Sorry about that. Where were we?”  
  
The Lead Commander licks his lips. “Why don’t we just jump right into it then? We’re both busy men and we shouldn’t waste time.”  
  
“I’m not sure about you Lead Commander, but I’ve got all the time in the world.”  
  
“Can you describe what you saw the day you arrived at HR-2245?”  
  
Jongdae makes a strange face, like he had just eaten a really sour lemon. “You mean Dakartius?”  
  
“Dakartius? Is that what they called it?”  
  
Jongdae nods and stares at the table in concentration. “The people there- Daknaes, I believe they called themselves, told me the planet I had arrived on was called Dakartius when I asked. They were very kind people. I was surprised they were so welcoming towards me despite all of the rumors about how secretive and mysterious they are.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes bug out of their sockets. This sounds so out of character for these creatures that it’s almost unbelievable. “Can you describe what they look like? We have no physical evidence of their features.”  
  
Jongdae ponders for a bit before speaking. “It’s almost as if they were human. In fact, I believe the reason they welcomed me so easily was because I looked so much like them. Their skin tones seem to range just as humans do and their facial features are the same way. The only visible difference between us and them are their eyes.”  
  
Kyungsoo waits for the old time traveler to continue but he seems to be lost in thought. “What about their eyes?”  
  
The latter jumps as if Kyungsoo had woken him up from a peaceful slumber. “Oh yes well you see their eyes actually change colors. From what I could understand, the color changes with their emotions.”  
  
Well that’s definitely something Kyungsoo didn’t know. He’s pretty sure  _no one_  outside of this room knows that to be honest. “And their clothing?”  
  
“All of them seemed to dress in a black robe. They wore hoods over their heads as well.” Strange, maybe the Daknaes lived in a sort of utopian society where color was banned. Kyungsoo’s seen it before in past culture’s he’s research. “But that day, they were celebrating so maybe that was just their formal dress. I’m not entirely sure.”  
  
This bit of information makes Kyungsoo perk up. “Celebrating? What were they celebrating?” This is good. Celebrations usually mean a link to information about a race’s culture and a glimpse into how they think or act.  
  
Jongdae puts his hands together and played with his thumbs. “From what I saw, they were celebrating a boy. There was a feast being devoured by the people, each of them offering their plate to a specific boy. He never took it though. Instead, he just looked at everyone with a sad and scared face. I thought at first that this was a sacrificial ceremony since the child was just sitting in the very middle of all of his people with a few elderly men standing guard by him, but nothing ever happened to him the whole night.”  
  
Kyungsoo almost holds his breath. “This feast. Did it take place in the city? In the large plaza perhaps?”  
  
Jongdae nods after thinking hard about it. “I believe it did actually. How’d you know?”  
  
He looks down at pen and paper he has in front of him, his eyes catching on the triangle symbol he drew a few moments ago while the other was talking. He’s willing to bet that the boy they were celebrating was put on the exact symbol from this drawing. This means that this triangle figure is definitely something important to the Daknaes. He’ll have to update his notes later.  
  
“So you were able to participate in their celebration? I’m surprised they let you see any of this.”  
  
Jongdae huffs. “You’re telling me! I didn’t even have to ask what they were doing or if I could tag along. I was just dragged by a merry bunch and given all the food a man could ask for. I decided to just stay the night and leave the next morning because I was entirely too full to time warp. Have you ever tried doing that on a full stomach? Let me tell you, it is not fun and it’s not worth having last night’s dinner all over your console.”  
  
The Lead Commander griminces. He’s never time traveled before but the thought of anyone throwing up makes his skin itch in an uncomfortable way. “Ah, yes. Well, I guess I would have to agree. So when you left the next morning was there anything strange?”  
  
Jongdae scratches his ear. “Not that I remember. I mean it was quiet when I left but it was pretty early in the morning. I already said my goodbyes the night before so I just kind of got up and left.”  
  
Kyungsoo bites his lip. “And you never went back after that?”  
  
The time traveler shrugs. “I really didn’t think about it. I go forwards and backwards in time so often that I lose track of the places I go and the people I visit. It was just on a whim I decided to visit Dakartius again ten years later, but when I got there-” Jongdae gave a small sigh, “-they were all gone without a trace. I wasn’t sure if they relocated or if they were in some sort of danger so I reported it to the Space Agency.”  
  
Kyungsoo reaches out and gave a reassuring squeeze. “You did the right thing Jongdae.”  
  
The old man gives a small smile at the Lead Commander before it settles into a slight frown, his eyebrows furrowing together. “I swear I saw that boy they were celebrating on my ship for several days though. I thought maybe it was his spirit or something.”  
  
Kyungsoo tilted his head in confusion. “Did he ever say anything to you?”  
  
Jongdae shakes his head. “Usually I would just catch glimpses of him in the corner of my eye. I swear I saw him curled up in one of the cargo areas. He mainly just looked really scared the whole time.” There was a brief silence before the time traveler speaks again. “Come to think of it, after I made that stop back home on Earth I never saw him again.”  
  
“So you think he may have been a stow away?”  
  
“Maybe. I’m not exactly sure. I may have been imagining it all. You never know with this ol’ mind.”  
  
Kyungsoo hums in agreement and stands up, putting out his hand. “Well, it was very nice to meet you Kim Jongdae,” he says in his native tongue, the Korean words making the older man’s eyes glisten with glee, “but I really must be going. Your account has been a huge help and will hopefully help us uncover a few things.”  
  
Jongdae shakes his head. “I’m glad I could help. If I remember anything, I’ll contact you again.”  
  
Kyungsoo bows. “That would be very appreciated. Safe travels, Jongdae.” With that, he leaves, practically sprinting down the halls to the transport ship. He needs to get back to HR-2245- no,  _Dakartius_ , and tell all of this new information to his team as soon as possible. He may look crazy right now, his hair a mess and a wide grin on his face (even skipping for a few seconds when he knew he was alone) and he may be breaking protocol by acting so childish, but he can’t help it. This information is just what he needed and he be damned if he’s not going to at least internally celebrate it.  
  
He earns a strange stare from the Intergalactic Government Space Agency soldiers waiting to bring him back to the planet, but Kyungsoo walks past them with his head held high in the air. Nothing could possibly ruin his day. Not even unearthing more stupid symbols.  
  


 

~

  
  
  
Apparently the space gods seem to have it out for him because this was possibly the worst day of his entire career.  
  
Kyungsoo had returned to the excavation site and practically  _sprinted_  to his team who were currently in the cave. He didn’t even care he was still wearing his uniform or that he should probably be professional and organize a meeting to explain everything he had just learned. Instead, he just marched right into the city and gathered his group of archaeologists in the large plaza. He happily announced that he had new information regarding the Daknae race and everyone’s faces immediately lifted. He explained everything the time traveler had told him, including reenacting the celebration the man had described.  
  
It was when he began talking about his thoughts on the triangle figure in the middle of the large area that the first explosion went off.  
  
Kyungsoo watches in horror as the coliseum he had once stood on crumbles to ashes, the rocks giving a mighty sound when they smack into the cave floor. The second explosion is much bigger and closer to Kyungsoo and his people. The force of it makes the buildings around it quiver until they fall. Kyungsoo tries to find the balance to stay on his feet, but another explosion goes off even closer and sends him flying forward. His ears are ringing and his vision is a bit blurry as he frantically tries to get up, the sounds of the structures cracking and crumbling to the ground are all around him. A large rock falling from the roof of the cave almost lands directly on his foot, causing him to stumble backwards to dodge it.  
  
“Lead Commander!”  
  
Kyungsoo looks and sees Minseok waving at him and he darts over to him as fast as possible. They both start hoofing it to the cave entrance, yet another explosion nearly knocking them off their feet but they make it up the steps anyway. Minseok grabs Kyungsoo’s hand when he see’s him almost losing his footing and drags him up, barely making it out before the entire thing collapses.  
  
Dust shoots out and covers the entire area. Kyungsoo is coughing and hacking, holding onto Minseok for dear life as they both try to make their way around to see if everyone is okay. They did a headcount and, luckily, everyone was accounted for.  
  
Kyungsoo sighs in relief and pats Minseok on the shoulder. “Thanks for getting me out of there Minseok.”  
  
Minseok’s chest is still heaving from exertion but he give a small smile. “And let you get left behind? No way. Besides, do you really want to be the only Lead Commander in history to have ‘death by stalactite’ written on their final report?”  
  
Kyungsoo chuckles, equally as breathless. “You do have a point there.”  
  
There is a thick silence that washes over everyone as the dust began to settle, showing the collapsed entrance of the cave. Some of the members fall to their knees, others just let their shoulders slump in defeat. Kyungsoo, however, is a bit different. Instead, he feels his eyes water and a slight prick in his nose, his body beginning to shake from his pent up emotions. Never in his entire career has this kind of incident happened. Sure there had been minor setbacks with previous cases where severe storms would wash away artifacts or something of the sort, but this?  
  
This is devastation.  
  
The Lead Commander is so caught up in his sadness that he almost misses the cries and shouts of the Government soldiers around him. He whips around as soon as he hears a “we caught the suspect” and sees a hooded figure being forcibly dragged out of the nearby forest. The man was thrashing and hissing at his captors, but they were too strong and continued to bring him towards what Kyungsoo assumes to be a holding cell on the Intergalactic Government Space Agency’s small transport ship. The Lead Commander’s eyes widen when he sees the man throw a soldier tumbling to the ground. He must be inhumanly strong if he could even almost overpower that soldier, a Wardaian at that.  
  
It takes a few moments to subdue him and Kyungsoo just watches the scene from the sidelines both in horror and in awe. He almost feels impressed with how much of a fight he is putting up- against armed guards, at that. Then, however, Kyungsoo looks to the fallen city and a heavy weight settles in his heart. All he can think to himself is  _‘why?’_  Why go through so much trouble to destroy an abandoned city? What could he have possibly gained?  
  
“Where is your commanding officer?”  
  
Kyungsoo was stirs from his thoughts by the voice and turns to the side, catching the soldier’s eye. “I’m Lead Commander. Now can you tell me what the hell is going on?”  
  
“I’m afraid that’s classified, sir.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes narrows and he feels his jaw tighten. “If you think for one damn moment I’m going to go along with that, you’re out of your mind soldier. Now you tell me what is going on at  _my_  excavation site in  _my_  jurisdiction.”  
  
To the soldier’s credit, he didn’t back down from the death glare Kyungsoo is currently giving him. However, though the other is much taller than the Lead Commander, Kyungsoo is very good at making others feel small and he can tell the man is internally quivering by that flash of fear that crossed his eyes.  
  
“By Intergalactic Protocol set by the Intergalactic Government Space Agency, any incidents dealing with the rebellion are considered classified, sir.” At this, Kyungsoo feels the wind knocked out of his sails.  
  
“The rebellion? This is linked to the rebellion? But why would he-” Kyungsoo shuts up, knowing his questions would go unanswered by the man in front of him. He sighs. He looks in the direction that they took the hooded man to. “Where are they taking the man from before?”  
  
The soldier didn’t even blink. “He’ll be taken to the Intergalactic Government Space Agency’s high threat facility located on Kara where he’ll be questioned and prosecuted for being a potential member of the rebellion.”  
  
Kyungsoo pauses. “Potential member? You mean to tell me you are arresting a man on the accounts he is a possible member of the rebellion? Do you even have any circumstantial evidence?”  
  
He can tell the latter was mentally trying to think of the proper thing to say, but his hesitance was an answer enough. “Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable.”  
  
“Lead Commander Do.”  
  
He ignores Minseok’s warning voice and began to glare up at the soldier in front of him once again. “You and your people are nothing but a joke. Jailing those as they please. Sure he just blew up possibly the most wonderful and beautiful city ever created in this galaxy’s history but that does not mean he should be wrongly imprisoned like this. Don’t think I don’t know how you’re superiors think. Them and their sadistic fucking ways of ‘sending a message’ to the uprisers by torturing their people and broadcasting them to the galaxy. It’s no wonder you have a god damn rebellion on your hands!”  
  
“Do Kyungsoo!”  
  
“What?!” He roars, turning on his heels to see a cautious looking Minseok. He gives Kyungsoo a sympathetic look because he agrees too but-  
  
“This isn’t the time for this, sir.”  
  
The Lead Commander takes a deep breath. Minseok’s right. As much as he hates what that badge on the soldier’s uniform stands for, yelling at an innocent man following his orders isn’t going to get him anywhere.  
  
Kyungsoo rubs his face harshly and turned back to the soldier. “What can you tell me about this man that  _isn’t_  classified?”  
  
The soldier licks his lips, eyes going back and forth as if he was unsure if he should tell the Lead Commander any more than he already has. “We found him hiding in the forest when the explosions went off. Others in my platoon found his camp a few clicks from your team’s base camp. I apologize Lead Commander, but that is all I can tell you.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods, ignoring the bubbling anger in his stomach. “And it’s safe to assume that I won’t be able to have a few words with the bomber before you cart him off to Kara?”  
  
The soldier looks apologetic. “I’m afraid the suspect has already been escorted off the planet. He’s on his way to Kara as we speak.” Kyungsoo grits his teeth, about to lash out again but the soldier started speaking again. “If my superiors at the high threat facility allow it, you may be able to visit him briefly.”  
  
“Yes, well I believe they at least owe me that don’t they?” The soldier didn't answer, awkwardly standing there since he really doesn’t know what to say or do anymore. Kyungsoo waves him off. “You’re dismissed. Thank you for informing me of the situation as best as you could.”  
  
The soldier gives a stiff nod and jogs away. Kyungsoo’s team stands around him, giving him helpless stares. One of his coworkers, a Trangian named Yuna, sighs. Bits of her overly sharp teeth show through her frown as she stares at him desperately. “Now what do we do Lead Commander?”  
  
Kyungsoo glances to Minseok to notice he’s staring at his feet, using the tip of his shoe to dig into the sediment. The Lead Commander looks out at his people and sighs. “For today, continue working on the discoveries and samples we already have recorded in our systems. We have plenty of data that still needs to be processed and an abundance of symbols that need to be decoded. Don’t worry, we’ll finish what we started here. Just like we always do.” He offers everyone a hopeful smile and find most of them grinning back.  
  
When everyone brakes off and leaves to continue their research, Kyungsoo’s shoulders sag. He drags himself to the collapsed cave and stares at it lifelessly. He can no longer even see into the structure, too large of rocks now fully block his view. He doesn’t even think it’s going to be possible to move any of the fallen debris with how massive they are. He shakes his head.  
  
What is he going to do now?  
  
A gentle hand on his shoulder brings him out of his temporary daze. Kyungsoo looks to see Minseok offering him a wary smile and a change of clothes. “We should go check out that guy’s camp. Who knows? Maybe there will be something worthwhile there.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods and takes the clothes, going behind a nearby bush. He changes quickly out of his once pristine uniform and into a pair of shorts and a loose shirt, leaving his uniform folded neatly under the bush before walking in the direction the soldier had said the bomber’s camp would be.  
  
It takes them both a while, and Kyungsoo may or may not have tripped and fell multiple times because of the uneven ground, resulting in Minseok having to hover behind him the whole time, but eventually they found it. It was a small, open area surrounded by brush. There was a rectangular shape in the middle made out of some sort of moss. When Kyungsoo squishes it with his foot, he finds it to be extremely cushy, making him deduce that this was probably where the man had slept. He also finds a large leaf about the size of his body lying next to the moss bed. When he grabs it, he realized it was very thick and durable. A blanket substitute maybe?  
  
“Lead Commander Do, look at this.”  
  
Kyungsoo puts down the leaf and steps over to his companion. Minseok is sitting on his knees currently digging through some sort of messenger bag. He reaches out and brushes his hand against the material. Why does it feel so familiar?  
  
“Hey, don’t you wear these sometimes?”  
  
Minseok holds up a pair of shoes and when Kyungsoo leans in closer to better inspect them, he notices they are Italian leather. “I do, but usually for formal occasions.”  
  
“Are they yours?”  
  
He takes them into his owns hands and reads the size on the tongue. They are way too big to be his own, meaning there was no way this man could have possibly stolen these from Kyungsoo’s sleeping quarters. “No. These aren’t my shoe size.”  
  
Minseok purses his lips and continues digging through the bag. He pulls out a picture and looks at it skeptically. Kyungsoo puts the shoes down and crouches beside the latter, realizing the picture was actually a post card.  
  
Post cards used to be another way of sending letters to friends and family who may live far away. Kyungsoo remembers his history professor saying that most of the time, these cards were sent by those on vacation to show their friends or family where they have been and to tell them how much fun they are having. Truth be told, Kyungsoo’s never even seen a post card in his life besides the copies stored on his hologram’s database. They had gone out of style centuries ago.  
  
Minseok stares at it weirdly, trying to read the writing on the card. “Can you read this?”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “It says ‘wish you were here’.”  
  
Minseok stares at it for a few more seconds before shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not sure what that even means.”  
  
Kyungsoo chuckles at the other. “It’s something humans would send to their love ones if they were visiting another place. Usually you send these when you’re really far from home.”  
  
Minseok blinks. “So this is human?”  
  
The Lead Commander scratches his neck. “Yeah but its centuries old. Even these shoes are very old fashioned. They’re very hard to come by these days since shoe makers of this caliber are basically non-existent. Even my shoes aren’t this good of quality.” It’s strange though, because the post card looks like it’s in pretty good shape. A picture of the Eiffel Tower took up the whole front of the card, the backside left blank. All of the ones Kyungsoo has seen pictures of are very worn and the pictures are very faded. This one, though, still looks freshly printed.  
  
“So then this guy had to at least been to Earth to get this stuff right?”  
  
Kyungsoo nods. “Or at least within its solar system. There are trade stations by Saturn and Uranus. Sometimes areas like that have collectible items that are hard to come by these days.”  
  
“Maybe he’s human then.”  
  
They both sit in silence for a few moments, mulling everything over as Minseok feels around for any other objects in the bag. A few were miscellaneous trinkets that seemed like souvenirs more than anything. It was, however, the last thing Minseok grabs that had them staring at each other in shock. In his palm rests a necklace, the chain long and thin, made from some sort of metal Kyungsoo definitely doesn’t recognize. It glows softly against Minseok’s outstretched palm and the silver seems to pulse in different shades all around the chain. Hanging from it, though, was a single pendant with the same pulsing glow. It was a triangle with crooked lines running in a circle around the center of the figure, the same one that they had found in the caves. Instead, the very middle had a blood red jewel that sparkled brightly with the metal around it.  
  
Kyungsoo feels like he can't breathe. This man didn’t have any malicious intent towards Kyungsoo or his crew when he set off those bombs, he was just trying to bury the Daknae’s history. But  _why_?  
  
Kyungsoo reaches out and takes the necklace into his own palm, and stares at the jewel in the middle in fascination. Whoever this man is, whether human or not, he knows something about the Daknaes and Kyungsoo’s determined to find out exactly what that is.  
  


 

~

  
  
  
Kyungsoo and Minseok waste no time getting back to camp and ordering a transport ship to come and get them as soon as possible, Kyungsoo having the bag from before slung over his shoulder. He figures it may be useful later. They gathered all of their team members and told them that they would need volunteers to come with them to Kara, the others were to stay here on Dakartius to continue doing their job as best as they can. When it was decided who would come and who would stay, Kyungsoo lead his volunteers to the transport ship, stopping briefly to speak to the Intergalactic Government Space Agency soldier in charge of their security and told him of his plans to head to Kara. The soldier assured him that the members of his team that were being left behind were in good and capable hands. With a small ‘thank you’ and a curt nod, the Lead Commander boarded the ship and left Dakartius.  
  
Kara is a very long way from the solar system they are currently in, which just means that they would need to jump to lightspeed to get there in a timely manner. Unfortunately, the small transport ships are not capable of warping, unlike the main ship.  
  
The main ship, otherwise known as the SS-Pytheas after the ancient Greek explorer, is a large vessel that carries over a hundred of Kyungsoo’s research workers and staff. A little less than one third of them are down on Dakartius, while the rest will be following him to the high threat prison on Kara.  
  
Minseok heaves a heavy sigh and gives a small glare to the Lead Commander. “Sir, we forgot to grab your uniform.”  
  
Kyungsoo gives a squeak and looks down in horror at his baggy shirt and shorts. The others around him snicker to themselves. Minseok pat his back.  
  
“I’ll give the coordinates to our men in the cockpit. You just go and prepare for stasis.”  
  
Kyungsoo gives the latter a grateful look and looks out the window at the SS-Pytheas beginning to get closer and closer as the ship approaches the boarding deck. The Lead Commander grips the strap of the messenger bag tightly, anxiety seeping into his bones from the whole situation. When they safely landed, everyone files out. Kyungsoo is about to sprint to his room because he’ll have his ass handed to him if he’s caught out of uniform  _again_ , but Minseok is quick to grab his wrist before he can.  
  
“What should I tell our people?”  
  
Kyungsoo ponders for a few moments. “Make the announcement that we have found evidence that suggests the bomber knows something about the Daknaes. We shouldn’t sugar coat it for them. They deserve to know.” It’s not really that much of a secret either. Afterall, Kyungsoo could be wrong and this man could know absolutely nothing. But it’s better to find out for sure, right?  
  
Minseok nods. “I’ll see you when we reach Kara then. Have a good sleep Lead Commander.”  
  
“You too Minseok.” The said male gives him a smile and jogs off in the direction of the elevators that would take him to the cockpit. Kyungsoo does the same, only towards his room on the fifth level. When he approaches his room, a robotic voice begins to speak.  
  
“Please state your name.”  
  
“Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commander of the SS-Pytheas.”  
  
There is a small ticking noise. “Access granted.” The door swooshes open gently and closes as soon as Kyungsoo steps into his room. He takes off his shirt, his bare chest coming in contact with the cool air. He takes off his pants and underwear as well and pads to the bathroom for a quick rinse off. All of the dirt and dust from the caves collapsing seemed to cling to Kyungsoo’s skin and it was beginning to make him feel a bit itchy and uncomfortable. He steps under the water, uncaring if it is still ice cold. He knew he didn’t have much time until the announcement would come on to go into stasis so the ship could warp to lightspeed.  
  
Stasis was used as a safety precaution due to previous incidents when lightspeed was first achieved. For some races, like humans for example, it does not affect them at all. In fact, Kyungsoo’s stayed out of stasis to monitor his ship while his crew members slept quite a few times and came out unaffected. However, for people like Minseok and over half of his crew, warping at lightspeed without being put to sleep could make them severely sick for weeks to come. So, just to prevent it from happening overall, the Intergalactic Peace Corps has set regulations that all members aboard the vessel, no matter their race, are required to enter a stasis unit before the ship could travel to lightspeed.  
  
Kyungsoo’s in the middle of toweling his hair when he hears Minseok’s voice come over the intercom, ordering all members to get into their stasis chambers. Kyungsoo sighs and hung his towel up to dry. He strides across his room in his naked glory to get some clothes he usually uses as sleep wear. He figures he’ll just put his uniform on when everyone’s allowed to leave their stasis chambers when they arrive.  
  
He presses a few buttons and watches as his full sized mattress sinks into the floor, his stasis chamber taking its place by lowering itself from the wall. There are small hisses from the hydraulics being under pressure by the unit, but they soon turned hushed as it is locked into place on the ground. Kyungsoo swings his leg up and throws his body into it. He spreads out into a comfortable position and presses the glowing blue button on the edge. Glass rises from the bottom of the unit and continues on its path until it is hovering over Kyungsoo, locking into place on the other end and becoming the small, cramped space Kyungsoo knows all too well. It’s almost unnerving being in such a tight space like this for a long period of time. At least they put you to sleep.  
  
He listens closely to all of the hisses and whines the chamber makes until there is a gas being released. Kyungsoo breathes in deeply, feeling his stomach go warm and his vision go foggy. He blacks out within seconds.  
  


 

~

  
  
  
After traveling at lightspeed, they have made it to the outer edges of Kara’s solar system. Kyungsoo is awoken when the stasis chamber recedes and allows him to breathe the untainted air of his room. He groggily sits up and stumbles to his closet. The one thing he hates most about stasis is the medicine put into the air to keep others from getting sick and to stay asleep. For Kyungsoo, it always makes him feel horrible once he leaves the chamber. He’ll be fine in a bit though. The effects tend to wear off fairly quickly as long as he doesn’t exert himself too much.  
  
The Lead Commander straightens the pins on the left side of his chest and puts on his hat. His white uniform looks way too bright for him to handle at the moment but he would just have to deal with it. Maybe if he doesn’t look down at himself, it’ll be okay.  
  
Kyungsoo marches out of his room and down the hall to the cockpit of the ship, his shoes clacking on the the metal floors as he walks. He passes a few of his crew members on the way, smiling when they give him a salute. He reaches the elevator and presses his hand to the scanner on the wall. The elevator recognizes him and immediately takes off, the doors opening shortly after to show the 180 degree view in the cockpit. He clears his throat and Minseok stands up from his position in Kyungsoo’s chair.  
  
“Lead Commander on deck.”  
  
Everyone stops what they’re doing and stands, each of them giving a salute. Kyungsoo waves his hand. “At ease.” The crew lower their hands and sits back down, continuing the work they were previously doing before Kyungsoo had come in. The Lead Commander makes his way over to Minseok.  
  
“Good morning Lead Commander. Did you sleep well?”  
  
Kyungsoo chuckles. “Yes. It was definitely something I needed after the day we’ve been having.”  
  
Minseok smirkes. “I’d have to agree with you on that, sir.”  
  
Kyungsoo lookes out the large windows and notices nothing was moving. “Have we stopped?” He squints and notices Kara as almost a spec in the distance.  
  
“This is as close as we can get with the SS-Pytheas. The Intergalactic Government Space Agency shut down our thrusters and are holding the ship in place. I talked briefly with the superiors running this area and they said they would allow you and I to come to the prison for a brief visit to the prisoner, but our ship and our people must stay at the edge of the solar system.”  
  
The high threat security compound on Kara is where the Intergalactic Government Space Agency keeps the galaxy’s worst criminals so Kyungsoo really doesn’t blame them for taking such extensive precautions. He surprised they are even allowing Minseok to tag along with him to be quite honest. Then again, Minseok’s security clearance is just a couple levels underneath his own.  
  
The Lead Commander sighs. “Well let’s get going then.”  
  
Minseok chuckles. “Don’t look so miserable Lead Commander. It’s just IGSA. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

  



	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

They board a transport ship that had been sent by the facility on Kara and settle into the comfortable seats. Kyungsoo stares hard at the soldiers eyeing him up and down like a piece of meat. He tries to ignore them but the moment one of them gives him a sleezy grin, he lashes out and both of them immediately cower when he does so. By the time Kyungsoo is done giving them a piece of his mind, he’s fuming. His ears are red and he has an irritating sensation boiling in the pit of his stomach. The soldiers scurry to another part of the small ship as he plops back into his seat next to Minseok, huffing in frustration. The latter just chuckles.  
  
Kyungsoo slits him a glare. “What’s so funny?”  
  
Minseok pats his thigh. “Give them a break Soo. Most species on this side of the galaxy have probably never seen a human before. You’re exotic looking to them.”  
  
“Exotic my ass,” he grumbles. “Those scaly bastards need to learn how to keep their dicks in check.”  
  
Within what feels like a couple of hours, they reach the facility. Kyungsoo feels his heart leap into his throat as he and Minseok stand to thank the pilot for flying all the way out to get them. When they exit, Kyungsoo makes sure to keep his head held high and his shoulders back. The Intergalactic Peace Corps is not really highly respected around here so he has to try his best to seem authoritative. A soldier is waiting for him at the exit of the ship hangar, his weapon slung across his chest and his stance alert. The closer the human gets, the better he can see that familiar shine of the Intergalactic Government Space Agency’s insignia resting on the other’s chest. He goes to greet Kyungsoo rather stiffly but the Lead Commander walks by him without a word. He isn’t here to play nice and act fake with someone he knows does not want him there. Minseok offers the soldier a wary, but apologetic smile and catches up with his commanding officer. As they walk through the main hallways, following the signs to the holding cells, they both hear guards and other soldiers whispering about the new prisoner, that he has color changing eyes and skin as impenetrable as rock.  
  
Kyungsoo glances to Minseok. “I need you to call headquarters and get a warrant to transfer the prisoner into our custody while I go find him.”  
  
Minseok's eyes dart around. “Do you think he’s a Daknae?” He whispers.  
  
Kyungsoo licks his lips. “I’m not sure but I just have a feeling we’re going to be taking him back to the SS-Pytheas with us. If he has color changing eyes then…”  
  
Minseok pulls out his earpiece from his pocket and powers it up. “I’ll make the call. You go find him.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods and continues on his journey alone. Eventually he reaches the holding cells, flashing his credentials at the guards and demanding to let him pass. They look at each other hesitantly but allow him through, meekly pointing in the direction of the prisoner he’s looking for.  
  
Kyungsoo strides around the corner and notices another prison guard holding a tray of what looked like warped weapons, as if someone had taken them and used all of their might to stab them into the wall. That’s when he recalls the others he had passed earlier talking about the new prisoner having impenetrable skin. Kyungsoo’s eyes lit up in fury and he stomped his way to the holding cell he needed. The guard stationed outside gives him a wary look.  
  
“Lead Commander Do?”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes narrow. “I wish to see the prisoner.”  
  
The guard bites her lip. “The prison warden is in there at the moment so if you could just wait here- Lead Commander!”  
  
Kyungsoo pushes passed the woman and slams open the door to the holding cell, the metal door making a mighty thump when it hits the wall. The prison warden turns on his heels, some sort of knife in his hand. Kyungsoo can tell the man is beyond pissed at being interrupted, but he feels his own self seething at the sight of the prisoner’s bruises and small cuts all over his naked torso. His hands are chained to the wall and his ankles are cuffed to the floor. His platinum blonde hair was matted on his forehead and he was heaving slightly. The prisoner raises his head and looks at Kyungsoo with a blank stare, but the Lead Commander can see a tiny trace of gold swirling in his irises.  
  
“Who the fuck are you?” The prison warden spits.  
  
Kyungsoo grits his teeth, secretly glad Minseok wasn’t here because this place would’ve probably been turned into the North Pole in a matter of seconds. “Lead Commander Do of the Intergalactic Peace Corps. Just what the hell do you think you’re doing to this man?!”  
  
The warden didn’t back down at Kyungsoo’s title, instead, giving him a cocky smirk. “This man is a suspected member of the rebellion. I’m only trying to get information out of him.”  
  
“Well you can count on not laying another finger on him because as of right now, he’s in my custody. Also, last time I checked, harming those that are of a rare or extinct race is illegal by the decree of the Intergalactic Government Space Agency.” At this, the prison warden gulps. The prisoner raises an eyebrow and adjusts his stance a bit, the chains rattling lightly as he does so.  
  
“I-I was not made aware that this man is of an endangered race. What proof do you have of this?”  
  
“If you would like my report, I will gladly send it to you when it is finished. But for now, I don’t need proof.” Truth is, he doesn’t have any physical proof. He just believes in his gut that this man is a Daknae. Everything points to it. There is no way he can be wrong.  
  
The prison warden stands stunned for a few moments at Kyungsoo’s response before conceding. He puts the knife on the small table in the corner of the room and looks at the Lead Commander. “Shall we go fill out the paperwork then?”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes narrow in suspicion. There have been cases where the high threat facilities on Kara have done some very sketchy business. One story he read was that someone was trying to transfer a prisoner into lower threat security and while they were discussing the necessary actions to do so, the prisoner was mysteriously ‘killed by another inmate.’ Things done on Kara are known to lack in morality, especially in the treatment of prisoners, so usually no one leaves once they arrive. No way in hell is he going to let that happen now.  
  
Kyungsoo gives a tight smile. “My colleague is waiting for you outside. I would appreciate if you left the the keys to the prisoner’s handcuffs on the table before you go.” The warden didn’t even hesitate to glare at Kyungsoo but did as he said anyway. With one last look at the man chained to the wall, the warden leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Kyungsoo stares at the man across from him, the latter glaring harshly in return. The silver strands in the man’s hair stick up in different directions, seemingly wet in some parts closer to the roots from his sweat. His skin is a light caramel, even on his chest, and his body is thin and toned. What stands out the most to the Lead Commander is the sharp jawline that just makes the other look even more ethereal, but he knows better. He’s probably a lot stronger than he looks.  
  
The prisoner’s eyes are a strange type of deep black, reminding Kyungsoo of the open ocean at the dead of night back on Earth. Dangerous and unpredictable.  _‘Strange_ ,’ Kyungsoo thinks to himself. ‘ _A Daknae’s eyes are supposed to be bright with color from their emotions_.’  
  
If it weren’t for the other guards whispering about color changing eyes and rock hard skin, then Kyungsoo would have definitely thought this man was human.  
  
The Lead Commander stepped forward and the other man released a low growl in warning, feral and deep. Kyungsoo put his hands up. “I’m not here to harm you, I’m here to take you away from this place. I’m not sure whether or not you are actually part of the rebellion, but just know my agency won’t care about that as long as you don’t blow us up again.” Kyungsoo attempts to joke to get some sort of emotion out of the other but he is still given a bored stare.  
  
The Lead Commander tilts his head and bites his lip. ‘ _Maybe he can’t understand me_.’ His thoughts drift back to why the prison warden was torturing him, even though there isn’t any circumstantial evidence that this man is even linked to the rebellion.  
  
He turns on his heel and opens the door, surprising the guard on the other side. “May I ask why the warden was torturing this man?” He tries to keep his voice soft since the woman seems to be overly anxious.  
  
The guard’s grips on her weapon tightens and she visibly stiffens. “B-because he is linked to the rebellion, sir.”  
  
Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow. “Lying to a commanding officer of any kind is a crime. I hope you know this.”  
  
She gulps, her eyes darting back and forth to see if anyone is around but they are alone. She leans in closer to Kyungsoo and lowly says, “The prisoner tried to kiss the warden, sir.”  
  
The Lead Commander’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Thank you. I’ll be sure not to tell anyone in case it would get you in trouble.”  
  
The guard gives him a grateful smile as he shut the door once again. He turns to look at the prisoner who had his eyes closed and his head leaning to the side. ‘ _He must be exhausted_ ,’ Kyungsoo thinks.  
  
Quickly, Kyungsoo grabs the keys off the table. When he stands directly in front of the man, he begins to free his arms and legs. The tanned male looks at him with slight curiosity but still says nothing. His bindings slid off, landing on the floor with an obnoxious ‘thunk’, and he rubbed his wrists. He makes eye contact with Kyungsoo again, this time a small twinge of hesitance in his stance.  
  
“You can’t understand me, can you?” Kyungsoo asks softly. When the prisoner doesn’t react to his words and instead stares at his lips, Kyungsoo’s suspicions are confirmed.  
  
For some races, languages are a trait that can literally be passed from one person to the next via some sort of connection. Kyungsoo has seen it quite a few times in the past when he was taking his Racial Behaviors class in college. Some are able to speak a language after simply kissing the other person. Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how it works, but he remembers his professor explaining it as other species’ brains may work in different patterns. Unlike a human, who has to go through most of their life to fully learn a language or two and condition themselves to have a proper vocabulary, others are able to learn it within seconds by connecting with the person they are trying to learn it from. He believes the prisoner in front of him falls under this category.  
  
The Lead Commander feels himself blushing at the thought. For humans, kissing is still considered an act of intimacy and affection. However, Kyungsoo supposes that in this moment he would be kissing an object of his affection. He loves his work and in a way, the man in front of him is a part of his job. At least the latter seems relatively clean unlike some species he’s ran into in the past. He just hopes he doesn’t have a razor tongue or something.  
  
Kyungsoo steps closer and closer until their noses are bumping. The prisoner seems to understand what the Lead Commander is trying to hint at, that it’s okay to kiss him, but the latter still looks unsure. Kyungsoo really wouldn't blame him after all that torturing he went through.  
  
The human takes the initiative and leans forward. He’s pleasantly surprised at how soft the latter’s lips are and squeaks lightly when strong arms wrap around Kyungsoo’s waist, dragging him closer until their bodies are flush against each other. His heart almost leaps out of his chest when he feels a wet tongue prod his lips and make it’s way into his mouth. Kyungsoo feels the instinct to pull away but he’s not exactly sure how deep of a kiss the the other needs for this to properly work.  
  
So this, in a nutshell, is how Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commander of the SS-Pytheas, ends up with a tongue down his throat by a member of an alien race. The thought that maybe he should kiss back, that this may be some sort of show of dominance, crosses his mind. He begins to move his tongue as well, pushing and twirling around the prisoner’s. The latter just hums and smirks in into the kiss, turning them both around and roughly pushing Kyungsoo against the cell wall. Kyungsoo breaks the kiss when he gasps in pain from the force, wincing slightly when his shoulder blade began to have a dull ache. He’s panting when he looks up at the other with a bewildered stare, getting nothing but playful, glowing green eyes and a wide smirk in return. Kyungsoo’s momentarily distracted by how beautiful the other’s eyes were, several shades of green swirling around the pupils in slithering movements. All he could think of at that exact moment was that this man definitely had to be a Daknae with eyes like that.  
  
"Mmm you tasted wonderful.” Kyungsoo blinks. “Your lips are very beautiful as well. Mind if I have another kiss sweetheart?" The Daknae purrs.  
  
Kyungsoo sputters but readjusts himself. “My name is Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commanding officer of the SS-Pytheas. I’m with the Intergalactic Peace Corps. I came to get you out of here, so from now on my people and I will be taking care of you.”  
  
The Daknae still looks at him playfully, the glowing green of his irises spreading to the skin around his eyes, almost like electricity sparking at the edge and mixing with the caramel tone of his face. “You know, I take back my previous statement. You’re lips aren’t the only thing that’s beautiful. Human right? Mm, never kissed a human before. Tell me, do all of your people like to take advantage of a poor soul that was just wrongly imprisoned and tortured? What a strange turn on.” He says thoughtfully.  
  
Kyungsoo gasps in horror. “I- I was not taking advantage of you! I was helping you with understanding my language.”  
  
The Daknae smirks again. “So you shoving your tongue down my throat was helping me understand your language?”  
  
“You did it to me first.” Kyungsoo says pointedly.  
  
“Like I said, you tasted good. How about me, huh? Did I taste good as well?” Kyungsoo blushes but shakes his head.  
  
“I’m not going to do this.”  
  
“Do what, my dear Lead Commander?”  
  
“Stand here and have this pointless conversation with you.”  
  
The Daknae chuckles, stroking Kyungsoo’s collar bones with his thumb. It's in that moment Kyungsoo realized he was still pinned against the wall, the other’s body pressed flush against his own. “Mm, but I am  _adoring_  this pointless conversation with you. Then again I’m perfectly content with picking where we left off if you’d rather do that instead.”  
  
The other’s expression is wicked as he leans in close enough to be a hair length from Kyungsoo’s lips. Kyungsoo gasps slightly when pressure is applied to his collar bone by long, thin fingers. The Daknae just hums, green eyes focused on his own fingers splayed out across the base of the human’s neck.  
  
“Such a delicate little thing,” he looks up and locks gazes with Kyungsoo. “I’m Kim Jongin. I don’t really have an impressive title like Lead Commander. However, I think being the last survivor of an extinct race would suffice, but you already knew that didn’t you?”  
  
Jongin’s eyes were twinkling with something Kyungsoo really can’t put his finger on. Something akin to mischief.  
  
Kyungsoo stares long and hard at him. “You were the reason I always felt like I was being watched back on Dakartius, weren’t you?”  
  
Jongin’s eyes quickly fade to black, the dark color slithering its way in until it swallows up any trace of green. Even the green sparks on the skin by edge of his eyes recede until they no longer show themselves. Jongin sneered. “What do you know about Dakartius that gives you the right to just give its name to some weak, measly planet?”  
  
Kyungsoo blinks, a furrow making its way on his eyebrows. “But Jongdae said your people had called it Dakartius-”  
  
Jongin’s fingers slide up until they are wrapped around the Lead Commander’s windpipe. He begins to squeeze lightly, enough to make Kyungsoo wheeze and gasp for breath. The Daknae tilts his head to the side, black eyes staring straight through his soul. “It’s so strange. Humans are said to be some of the strongest beings in the galaxy but yet here you are, struggling to stay conscious while I barely even have a grip on you.” Jongin tuts his tongue. “Pathetic.”  
  
Kyungsoo scratches down the other’s arms. “Please,” he wheezes, “let go.”  
  
Jongin does as he’s told immediately and backs out of Kyungsoo’s personal space. The Lead Commander takes in greedy gulps of air and glares at the Daknae currently observing his movements. He can see a clear message being silently conveyed through those dark eyes.  
  
 _‘Don’t talk about things you don’t even understand yourself.’_  
  
When Kyungsoo finally gets his bearings he looks down at his feet. Okay, he kind of had that one coming. He momentarily forgot that he has no idea what may or may not offend the latter, so he should form his questions carefully. Honestly, you can’t really blame him for the slip up though. He’s so used to dealing with cultures that are already extinct and can’t talk back that this is like a whole new world for him. Having a living and breathing member of the race he is tasked to study is like a curse hidden in a miracle. He’s going to have to apologize to Jongin later for overstepping his boundaries.  
  
The more rational (or irrational considering it’s usually what fuels his temper when it occasionally flares up) part of his brain says that the Daknae overstepped many boundaries as well by trying to fluster the Lead Commander with their kiss, though. In that case they could be considered even.  
  
Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. He should just let it go and move on from the situation before he gets choked out again.  
  
Jongin has an amused smirk on his face, forest green making it’s way into his eyes once again. “Are you done with your inner monologue there, Lead Commander?”  
  
Kyungsoo somehow knows deep in his heart that the Daknae addressing him by his title is a way at poking fun at him, but he ignores it for now. He would rather focus on getting him out of the prison as fast as possible.  
  
“Let me call my colleague so I can get you out of this place already.” Kyungsoo’s beginning to get a headache from the mixed stench of the entire prison and he’s sure Jongin must be tired despite being so cheeky.  
  
Jongin gives him a strange look, like he’s surprised Kyungsoo even cares to get him out of here so quickly. It was gone in a flash, though, the latter’s bored stare showing itself again. “To get yourself out of here, you mean.”  
  
Kyungsoo pauses with his ear piece in hand. “I mean I enjoy being in a high threat facility on one of the hottest planets in the sector as much as the next guy, but right now you take priority. I came to get you so of course I’m going to do everything to get you out of here as soon as I can.” He leaves out the part about basically being behind enemy lines which is one of the driving forces behind getting Jongin as far away from this place as quick and as soon as possible. The Daknae probably wouldn't really care to know that.  
  
Jongin’s stare is heavy and calculating. Kyungsoo tries not to shrink under it.  
  
The Lead Commander activates the small piece of technology in his hand, attaching it to his ear and tapping on his wrist monitor. It was small and oddly looked like a watch to him, but it instead served as a communication tool. He sends a ping to Minseok, the other picking up rather quickly.  
  
 _“Yes, Lead Commander?”_  
  
“Do we have the necessary warrant to transfer the prisoner into our custody?” Jongin made a sneering sound in the background, but when Kyungsoo turns to look at him, it was if the other hadn’t even moved. His gaze was still heavily resting upon Kyungsoo, unnervingly intense.  
  
 _“The Intergalactic Peace Corps gave us the go ahead to bring him into our care without a warrant, sir. The paper work will be handled later down the road. You could imagine my surprise, though, when the prison warden easily agreed to these terms. He seems quite eager to let the prisoner go.”_  
  
“Yes well, I had to remind him about the repercussions of harming an individual of a rare or extinct race.”  
  
Minseok is quiet on the other end for a few seconds.  _“So he really is one of them?”_  
  
“We’ll discuss this on the way back to the SS-Pytheas. For now, please prepare our departure ship. I’m going to bring Jongin out now.”  
  
Minseok gives a curt ‘yes sir’ and ends the call. Kyungsoo takes his ear-piece from his ear and put it in his pocket. He looks to Jongin, whose glowing green eyes seemed to accentuate his smug grin. Kyungsoo clears his throat, not really understanding the other’s expression.  
  
“Shall we?”  
  
Jongin’s eyes rake down his figure and stop on his ass.  _‘Ah_ ,” Kyungsoo thinks, ‘ _that’s why_.’ Jongin tilts his head, his eyes bright with mischief once again. “Lead the way, my dear Lead Commander.”  
  
Kyungsoo grits his teeth, knowing the other was watching his ass sway as they walk down the halls of the prison, passing other cells on their way. Jongin stays silent behind him, smirk growing wider when Kyungsoo slits him a glare. If this is how dealing with the Daknae is going to be on a daily basis, he’s not sure how long he’s going to be able to keep his temper in check.  
  
  


~

  
  
  
  
Eventually they make it to the ship hangar and meet Minseok, who is chatting briefly with the prison warden. Kyungsoo gives the warden a firm nod and is about to thank him for his cooperation but he saw the other growing livid. His face made it look as if he was constipated, turning bright red. At first, the Lead Commander thinks it is directed at him, but he realizes he is looking over his shoulder. Kyungsoo turns around to find Jongin blowing kisses at the other man, a mocking grin on his face as he riled him up.  
  
Kyungsoo turns back to the warden and stands directly in front of the Daknae to block him from the other’s line of sight. “Thank you for working with us. It’s very much appreciated. We’ll be taking our leave now.” Without really thinking of the repercussions, he lightly grabs Jongin’s arm and brings him into the transport ship before he can piss off the warden even more. To his surprise, the Daknae allows himself to be dragged, chuckling lowly at the Lead Commander’s actions. Minseok follows along behind them, eyes curiously watching the two interact.  
  
When the door to the ship begins to close Jongin looks to his right at Minseok, green swirls mixing with a shining gold in his eyes. “Well aren’t you cute.”  
  
Minseok blinks and looks to Kyungsoo. “He speaks our language?”  
  
Kyungsoo tries to fight the blush spreading on his cheeks. “Yeah. He didn’t at first.” Minseok give a hum of understanding before looking back to Jongin.  
  
“I’m Lieutenant Kim Minseok. I’m Lead Commander Do’s right hand man so if you ever need anything, just let me know.”  
  
Jongin bites his lip and hums. “I’m Kim Jongin. It’s good to meet the Lead Commander’s henchman. I’m sure we’ll get along real well.”  
  
Minseok gives a light smile. “I hope we will.”  
  
The one problem Kyungsoo has realized about Minseok, is that he can be a very serious person. With that being said, sarcasm really doesn’t come easy to him and unless you blatantly spell it out for him, he won’t know the difference between an insult and a compliment. He has come to understand some of Kyungsoo’s humor, but most of the time he just gets confused whenever the human would try to joke with him.  
  
Jongin stares at him for a few seconds before looking to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo just shakes his head and Jongin seems to get the message. The Daknae, instead, looks around the small space of the ship.  
  
Minseok clears his throat to get his attention once again. “First of all, I wanted to give you a change of clothes since I’m sure you don’t want to walk around shirtless the entire duration of the trip.” Jongin tilted his head, but took the clothes offered to him.  
  
“I was also wondering, Jongin, if you would mind doing a small interview for us while we travel back to the SS-Pytheas. Our research on your people has kind of hit a dead end, especially after you blew up the city and all. It would be great if you can provide us with some answers.”  
  
Kyungsoo cringes the moment Minseok stops talking, looking to Jongin warily. The small space of this ship is definitely not the place he wants to be if Jongin decides to get violent and tries to hurt Minseok. However, all he sees is a tight smile making its way on his face. His eyes went from a pure forest green to having an ice blue circle around the edge of his irises. “Why not? Talking about my dead race should be a great way to pass the time, wouldn’t you say so Lead Commander? It gives me the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it.”  
  
Jongin’s heavy gaze shifts to Kyungsoo and the human gulps. “Only if you’re comfortable Jongin,” he says softly.  
  
Jongin just grips the clothes in his hands tightly. “I’m going to change and we can begin.” The Daknae begins to slip off his clothes on the spot, causing the Lead Commander to let out a squawk and turn on his heels as fast as possible. His face was bright red with embarrassment and when he looked to Minseok, he noticed the latter giving him a judging stare and going back to getting out their notes and research to conduct the interview. Once he has everything set up, he pressed the record button on his wrist monitor. He looks excited and Kyungsoo would normally share his sentiment, but he really didn’t like the look of that ice blue color slithering in Jongin’s eyes.  
  
Minseok gestures to the seat across from him. “Please sit.”  
  
Kyungsoo turns back around to see a fully dressed Jongin doing as he’s told, leaning back comfortably and supporting his head with his arm on the arm rest. Kyungsoo sits next to Minseok, not really wanting to be near the Daknae in case they ask the wrong questions. He’s also still pretty embarrassed about almost seeing the other naked. Call him a prude, but that’s definitely not on his agenda to see today.  
  
Minseok looks at him expectantly and Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. “This is Lead Commander Do Kyungsoo of the SS-Pytheas with Lieutenant Kim Minseok interviewing Kim Jongin, a member of a race known as Daknae. Before we start this session I’d like to make it clear that Jongin has the right to choose what he can and won’t answer.” He looks to see Jongin tapping the table with impatience. “With that, let’s begin.”  
  
Minseok nods and looks at the holopad in his hands. “Jongin, if you don’t mind me asking right away, why did you decide to destroy your people’s city?”  
  
Jongin flutters his eyelashes and smirks. “Because I could.”  
  
Minseok and Kyungsoo blink at the straight forward answer. The Lieutenant looks back at the holopad. “Right. Uhm..”  
  
Kyungsoo notices his colleague struggling to recover from the shock of Jongin’s answer, so he decides to contribute too. He’s not exactly sure how to ask these questions without coming off too strong, but he figures he’d just wing it. “Do you know what happened to the rest of your people? We have a witness stating that they were alive and thriving not a couple decades ago.”  
  
Jongin shrugs and looks at his nails, picking at the dirt caught underneath. “Probably dead to be honest. Lives are fleeting, even for a Daknae.”  
  
Kyungsoo makes a face. “While that may be true, it still doesn’t make sense that the entire city back on Darkartius-” Jongin gives him a maniacal glare, “-I mean on HR-2245- just seemed to suddenly be left uninhabited. Did something go wrong and your people just decided to get up and leave?”  
  
Jongin leans in slowly, folding his hands neatly on the table and looks directly at the Lead Commander. “Have you ever thought to yourself, Kyungsoo, that maybe you’re looking at what’s left of my race? Hm? That the answer you and your team keep digging for is staring you right in the face at this very moment?” The other’s wicked green eyes are back and it just makes Kyungsoo even more confused. He knows for a fact that the green in his eyes stands for a playful emotion, but what is even remotely playful about the subject of the possible mass extinction of his own race?  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes furrow but he stays quiet. Minseok decides to try to continue, despite the Daknae’s cryptic answers. “Can you tell us a little about the Daknae culture?”  
  
The question is good since it’s pretty vague but will possibly help Kyungsoo and his people understand some of the data they had uncovered from the excavation site. Jongin shifts his gaze from the Lead Commander to the Lieutenant sitting next to him. “Where to start? Hm,” he taps his chin and looks up at the ceiling dramatically. “Well, first of all, we have cannibalistic tendencies. Shall I go into detail? You see, usually we take the weak and elderly and roast them in a large fire. To be honest, I prefer when some of our children are taken and roasted up real well. The meat is always so juicy and tender. A big feast usually follows afterwards as well. It’s quite fun! What we do is we drain them of their blood slowly as everyone celebrates and then-”  
  
Kyungsoo slams his hand on the table, the sound echoing in the quiet transport ship and effectively cuts off Jongin. Minseok is sitting there with his mouth open in horror and even some of the soldiers sent to escort them back look extremely uncomfortable. Kyungsoo looks the Daknae dead in the eye, no longer fearing that the other would do anything to him. “Jongin, is this true?”  
  
Jongin just laughs loudly, clapping to himself as he does so. “Look at all of your faces! This is priceless!”  
  
Minseok is still sporting his horrified expression as he grips his holopad tightly, Jongin’s laughter ringing through the thick atmosphere. “You would disrespect your people’s memory like that?” His voice comes out as a mere whisper.  
  
The Daknae merely snickers to himself. “Would you believe me if I said it’s in my people’s nature to be an ass?” he says with a confident and defiant smirk.  
  
Kyungsoo clenches his fist. “We’re done for now. Minseok end the recording, we’ll pick up some other time.” Jongin’s eyes just sparkle as he watches the Lead Commander angrily put their notes and holopads away. Minseok does as he’s told and stops the recording, leaning back in the chair and avoiding eye contact with the Daknae.  
  
The ship falls into a thick silence. Kyungsoo feels like he’s going to suffocate from it, especially with Jongin still sitting across from him, eyeing Minseok and Kyungsoo carefully. Minseok looks to Kyungsoo. “I think...I think I’m going to sleep Lead Commander.”  
  
Kyungsoo makes a disgruntled face. He must be feeling awkward from the silence as well. “Go ahead. I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”  
  
Minseok nods and glances to Jongin briefly before getting comfortable in his seat and closing his eyes. Kyungsoo looks to the Daknae as well. “You should get some sleep as well Jongin. I’m sure you’re tired.”  
  
Jongin’s eyes flash green again and Kyungsoo’s beginning to think that this is his default color. “And miss out on staring at those luscious lips of yours? I don’t think so.”  
  
Kyungsoo pinches the bridge of his nose. This is going to be a long trek back.  
  
  


~

 

When they arrive at the SS-Pytheas, Jongin is looking out the window in concealed awe. His face is stoic but Kyungsoo can tell from his eyes changing colors that he has never seen a ship like this before. He tries not to smile and ruin the moment.

When the ship rattles slightly from locking into place on the boarding deck, Minseok moves a bit, rubbing his eyes and blinking blearily at the Lead Commander. “We’re here?”

Kyungsoo nods. “When you’re ready, we’ll get off.”

Minseok sighs. “Give me a few moments. I don’t think I’m ready for the chaos that’s about to ensue.”

Kyungsoo chuckles. “Sure.” He stands and stretches, bringing his arms above his head and sighing in content at the feeling.

Jongin glances at him. “So what will happen to me?”

Kyungsoo tilts his head. “What do you mean?”

“Do you have a cell waiting for me on the ship? I’d hope you at least provide me a bed and not chain me to the wall like the prison warden. It was a very unpleasant experience to be honest.”

Kyungsoo pauses. Did Jongin really think he was still a prisoner? “Jongin you aren’t going to be kept in a prison cell. You’re as free as anyone else on this ship. Of course, there are still some restrictions but that’s because you don’t have clearance, not because you were a prisoner on Kara.”

If the Daknae is surprised by this fact, he doesn't show it. Not even his eyes spark with any sort of color. Instead, they recede to the same dark black Kyungsoo had seen when they first met in his cell. “Well aren’t you just a gracious host, Lead Commander.”

They stare at each other for a few seconds before Minseok gets up and claps his hands. “Okay well, I’ve had enough of this tension for today. Why don’t we go prepare the ship to leave this horrible place once and for all?”

Kyungsoo can’t agree more. All three of them exit the transport ship and head into the main halls of the SS-Pytheas. Some of Kyungsoo’s people are there to welcome him back when he walks in, but most of them stay quiet when they spot Jongin, their stares a mix of slight fear and curiosity. Jongin glares at them all, a low growl bubbling in the back of his throat. Kyungsoo clears his throat and quickly dismisses them all before anything can happen.

One of his pilots approaches him as the crowd disperses and informs him of their course of action to get back to their research base on HR-2245. Kyungsoo cringes when he remembers they will have to jump to lightspeed. He looks to Jongin, who is eyeing the white walls of the hall like they were going to attack him in some way. Since Jongin is a Daknae, and their genetic makeup is entirely unknown to the rest of the universe, Kyungsoo’s not sure if he could take staying out of stasis for the jump to lightspeed. That being said, he’s also not sure if Jongin’s body would accept the anesthetics put into the chambers to keep its occupants asleep for the duration of the trip. As much as he wants to trust Jongin, with the other’s sarcastic attitude and history of causing Kyungsoo and his people a lot of trouble, the Lead Commander fears that he’s going to have to give him some sort of injection that will keep him from walking around in case he breaks out of his stasis chamber while everyone else is still asleep.

“Minseok, can you hand me my holopad?” Minseok reaches into the small case and does as he’s told. Kyungsoo takes the object and enters his security code. He begins to write a small note to the workers at the medical station on the lower deck, telling them about his idea of sedating the Daknae and keeping him in a stasis chamber there. When it’s sent he looks up to see Jongin and Minseok both staring at him expectantly. “Minseok, bring Jongin down to the medical station. They should have my orders by the time you get there.” He looks to Jongin. “I have to go talk to the members of my navigation crew and then I’ll come down. Please cooperate with the nursing staff. They won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Jongin rolls his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

A flash of agitation courses through Kyungsoo’s system but he wills it away. Getting mad at the Daknae is probably the worst thing to do. Despite how much of an ass the latter is, Kyungsoo really needs to try to have patience. There are many things that he still doesn’t understand about the other man and until he does, who is he to yell at Jongin for behaving the way he does?

Minseok gently pats Jongin’s shoulder. “Come on. The medical station is this way.” Without a fight, Jongin follows behind the Lieutenant mutely. Kyungsoo watches them both disappear around the corner before taking off to the main deck. The Lead Commander enters the elevator by himself, punching in his security clearance and leaning back on the railings as the machine takes off. He sighs. With Jongin being the way he is, Kyungsoo worries it’s going to take a lot for the Daknae to trust him and his people enough to help them.

In all honesty, Jongin doesn’t owe them anything. In fact, it eats away at Kyungsoo’s heart that he is forcing the Daknae into this mess. No one knows exactly what the other has gone through, but all Kyungsoo can do is guess.

He guesses Jongin has nothing to lose, that that’s why he blew up the caves of his people despite knowing there were heavily armed guards there.

He guesses that Jongin is willing to take his secrets to his grave. For that, Kyungsoo respects him but he wishes that he could lessen that burden. The Lead Commander has no hidden agendas and is even willing to sweep it all under the rug if he has to, but he knows that may never happen.

He also guesses that Jongin is utterly alone and it’s why he is trying to drive Kyungsoo and Minseok away. Kyungsoo’s not stupid. He’s very aware Jongin is only cooperating for now so he can get a free ride to wherever he ends up next. Kyungsoo isn’t, however, ready to let the Daknae go just yet. He can’t really explain it, but he just wants to help.

Never before has Kyungsoo ever met a living member of a race he was tasked to study and he still can’t get the giddy feeling out of his chest despite how much of an ass Jongin has been so far. This is important to him and call him selfish, but he just wants to know all about the other male. If he doesn’t ever find out what happened to the rest of Jongin’s people, then so be it, but he just has to understand what makes Jongin the way he is.

To do that though, he needs to establish trust. Maybe the Daknae will do better without dealing with too many people at once. From the way he growled at Kyungsoo’s team members, the Lead Commander figures he probably won’t do well in crowds. So maybe, just maybe, Kyungsoo can get him to come out of his shell if it’s just the two of them. He cringes when he remembers the amount of his people they have to pick up on HR-2245, even more stationed back at base.

Time.

He needs time.

The elevator dings and he steps out, putting on his stark white cap.

“Lead Commander on deck.” Everyone stood and saluted, welcoming him back.

Kyungsoo smiles at them. “I have an idea I’d like to pitch to you all. But you’re not going to like it.” Everyone glances at each other, curious and wary of what’s to come.

 

~

 

 

“I said stay the fuck away from me!”

Kyungsoo pales at the roaring voice coming from inside the medical station, quickening his pace when he hears a loud crash. When he turns the corner, he’s greeted with the site of Minseok lying against one of the hospital beds with miscellaneous medical supplies sprawled out around him. He is groaning in pain and holding his shoulder. Kyungsoo glances to the right and sees Jongin’s chest heaving, his eyes a piercing ice blue.

“What the hell is going on here?” The Lead Commander yells, feeling slightly guilty when he sees the nurses jump and continue to hide behind the other hospital beds in the corner. 

Jongin shifts his gaze to him, baring his teeth, and lets out an animalistic growl. For a moment, Kyungsoo is momentarily distracted by the Daknae’s teeth, thrown off by the way they were visibly sharper than those of a human. They aren’t as sharp as Yuna’s, whose teeth are like needles lining her mouth, but instead they were just slightly pointed at the tips. Hopefully he doesn’t use biting as a form of defense because Kyungsoo would stand no chance.

Jongin tightens his fists. “If you think for one moment I’m going to allow you to put me to sleep, you are dead wrong. I refuse to become some sort of lab rat for you people.”

Kyungsoo grits his teeth but attempts to remain calm. So that’s what this is about. “Jongin, you don’t understand. You have to be put under for us to jump to lightspeed-”

“I’m not stupid Kyungsoo. I know you’re going to run tests on me while I sleep. Take blood samples or whatever you fucked up people do. It’s not happening.” Jongin smashes his fist into the stasis chamber next to him, the machine crunching under the force of the hit.

Kyungsoo feels his eye twitch. ‘ _Super strength. Great._ ’

Minseok whimpers somewhere behind him and he turns around to help him try to stand up. When the Lead Commander gets a better look, he sees a needle sticking out of Minseok’s upper bicep. From the dazed look on the other’s face, it must be Jongin’s sedative. The Lieutenant gave him a groggy look. “I think this is the appropriate moment to use that one earth saying you taught me ‘Soo.”

Kyungsoo gives him a concerned look. “What’s that Minseok?”

The latter gives him a lazy smile, eyes going slightly out of focus. “I got the hots right now.”

Kyungsoo sighs. “I think you mean that you ‘don’t feel so hot’ right now.”

Minseok makes a disgruntled face and hiccups. “The room looks like it’s swinging back and forth.” He looks at the needle sticking out of his arm. “Hey Soo, remember that time in college when we went to Earth and went to that one huge party? I still don’t understand. You said we were going swinging but there were no swings-”

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” he looks to the cowering nurses pleadingly. “Can one of you help him? I’ll handle this situation.” The nurses look at Jongin warily, the Daknae growling in return. They both yelps and ran to Minseok to help him onto a bed, pulling the curtain to give the other two some privacy.

Kyungsoo sighs and looks at Jongin softly. “Jongin I know you don’t trust any of us, and I don’t blame you. If I was you, I would be just as angry.”

Jongin stops growling and baring his teeth. The ice blue swirling in his irises, however, doesn't diminish one bit. His posture is still defensive, but he looks nowhere as bad as when Kyungsoo had first come in. He just stares at Kyungsoo quietly.

The Lead Commander licks his lips and looks at the damaged stasis chamber. They have plenty of extra ones on board but he knows Jongin’s going to continue to put up a fight if they even try to get him in one. Even if they manage to subdue him, Kyungsoo has a feeling it would really put a damper on the whole trust building he wants to work on with the Daknae.

Now that he thinks about it, though, his stasis chamber is plenty big enough to fit the both of them and no one except Minseok has the clearance to enter his sleeping chambers unless otherwise invited. Seeing as how the Lieutenant is definitely in no sort of condition to do so, no one would have access to them as they sleep. Not that anyone would be out of their chambers anyway since there are penalties that enforce this rule, but Jongin probably wouldn’t believe him even if it’s the truth.

Another good thing about sharing a stasis with the Daknae is that he won’t have to be sedated. If Jongin tries to get out of the chamber while they are still at lightspeed, Kyungsoo would know and be able to at least monitor him because God knows the Lead Commander wouldn’t last in any sort of fight against the latter.

Jongin’s stare doesn’t diminish and he doesn’t even flinch when Kyungsoo steps closer. “How about you share my stasis chamber with me? No one can enter my room without permission and if something happens I’ll be there to stop it.”

Jongin still doesn’t move, face as blank as ever.

“Jongin, nothing will happen to you while we sleep. You have my word.”

The Daknae sneers. “Says the man that wanted to give me a sedative so I couldn’t walk.”

Kyungsoo takes another step closer. “Just like you don’t have any reason to trust us, we don’t have any reason to trust you. While I care about your welfare Jongin, I care more about my own people’s even more. To them, you are a threat. Even though I know that’s not true, they are scared of what you might do to them after what you did in the caves.”

Jongin blinks, expression faltering slightly. Kyungsoo continues, taking one last step so he’s directly in front of the other male. “I know this is all unknown to you, but you have to trust me for now. Nothing will happen to you. There will be no tests or sedatives.”

It is quiet for a few minutes and Kyungsoo watches the Daknae’s eyes swirl with different colors, obviously emotionally torn on what he should do. Kyungsoo gives him a soft smile. “Let me show my room, then you can decide.”

Jongin gives a small nod, his eyes slithering back to an empty black. Kyungsoo feet his shoulders sag in relief. At least the other is back to somewhat cooperating, although the Lead Commander’s sure that wasn’t the last he’d see of Jongin’s temperament.

As they begin to walk out of the medical station, Kyungsoo pops his head through the curtains. Minseok lays on the bed with his mouth open unattractively, muttering something lowly. When Kyungsoo releases a soft laugh, the nurse looks at him and gives a tired smile. “We’re about to move him into another stasis chamber. We just wanted to give him plenty of fluids so his body can get rid of the sedative from earlier.”

Kyungsoo nods as he watches the second nurse check his vitals. “Thank you for taking care of him. Make sure you both get into the stasis chambers as well. I hope you both have a good sleep.”

Both nurses beam at him. “Thank you Lead Commander,” they said in unison. Kyungsoo grins before giving one last look at Minseok and leaving with Jongin towards his room.

Jongin just stares at him strangely. “You’re so kind to them.”

Kyungsoo gives him his signature heart shaped smile. “Of course. They are like my family on this ship. In my culture, family is everything, so on this ship my crew means everything to me. Without them, there’s no me, you know?”

Jongin swallows, looking at the path ahead of them. “Family, huh?”

It’s rhetorical, he knows, but Kyungsoo feels the urge to continue on the topic. However, he figures there is a time and a place for it and right now is definitely not the time, nor the place. He’s lucky Jongin’s even having a normal conversation with him, even if the Daknae only said two sentences.

Anything's better than the teasing Kyungsoo’s received since they first met.

They soon approach Kyungsoo’s door and Kyungsoo taps on the screen nearby. It lights up a bright blue.

“Please state your name.” Jongin slightly jumps at the robotic voice and looks at it warily.

“Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commander of the SS-Pytheas.”

A familiar ticking noise was heard. “Access granted.”

The door slides open and Kyungsoo steps in, gesturing for Jongin to do the same. Once they are both inside, the door closes and locks itself behind them. Jongin stares at the door, a small tug at the corner of his lips. “Do you have to do that every time you come in here?”

Kyungsoo chuckles. “Yeah. It could be worse though. The older ships had a specific code you had to punch in every time you entered any room on the ship. Trust me when I say it definitely sucked.”

Jongin hums and looks around the human’s room. Kyungsoo fidgets, pushing aside the urge to clean the small messes he has on the floor and his desk. He wasn’t really expecting company.

Kyungsoo glances at the Daknae next to him. “So? What do you think?”

Jongin stays quiet but slowly walks toward the bed, looking out at the window briefly. “Where’s the chamber?”

“Ah, I need to press a few buttons here- step back a bit.” Jongin does so, watching as Kyungsoo’s bed disappears and the stasis chamber takes its place. When everything is locked into place the room is once again silent. Kyungsoo stands next to him and softly asks, “What are you thinking?”

Jongin’s expression remains stoic. “I’m thinking that I really don’t want to do this.”

Kyungsoo’s about to retort but his wrist monitor began vibrating. It's the navigational team calling. He tapped once, a message popping up on the small screen. One of the members had noticed he had still not gotten into his chamber and told him they will be taking off in ten minutes. Funny, Kyungsoo was so wrapped up in Jongin that he didn’t even hear the public announcement.

The Lead Commander rubs his face and gives Jongin a tired look. “I know you don’t want to do this.  _I_  don’t even like doing this but it’s against the rules to be out of stasis at lightspeed. It’s not that big of a deal. All it does is force you to sleep and stabilizes the chamber so your body doesn’t get affected from the jump.”

Jongin looks back at the chamber with obvious hesitation, biting his lip. Kyungsoo daringly puts his hand on the Daknae’s lower back, the gentle touch causing Jongin to flinch in the slightest. “Come on,” Kyungsoo says quietly, “I’ll even let you have the good pillow.”

Jongin gulps and stares at Kyungsoo before nodding slowly. “Okay,” he says equally as quiet. Kyungsoo beams and leads him to the machine, the human climbing in first and the Daknae following right after. When they both lay down, Kyungsoo realizes it’s a bit more of a squeeze than he originally thought but he feels content having the other right next to him. He’d probably worry entirely too much if Jongin had gone into one of the other stasis chambers.

Jongin seems overly uncomfortable, his breathing picking up when the glass closes over them. Kyungsoo slides him the second pillow stacked under his head and gives a gentle smile. “See you when we wake up.”

Jongin stares at him with furrowed eyebrows but begins to panic as he hears the hisses and whines being admitted by the chamber. Kyungsoo wants to reach out to him, but he already feels his eyes growing heavy and his limbs becoming dead weight.

 

~

  
  
  
The first thing Kyungsoo registers when he begins to wake up is a stale smell that reminds him of the old attic in his family home, filled with dust and old heirlooms that are long forgotten. The second is the soft sand he’s currently lying on. He opens his eyes and takes a deep breath but coughs when some of the sediment got caught in his throat. He looks around blearily, feeling bits of sand fall down his back from his hair.  
  
There was nothing but sand and two tall walls towering over him, both paralleling each other to make some sort of path. He looked ahead at the pathway in front of him and noticed that a light fog settled over the area, seemingly much thicker looking in the distance. He glanced behind him as well and was welcomed the same bareness as before.  
  
Kyungsoo stumbles a bit when he gets up, a little disoriented but straightens out. “Hello?” he calls out, not exactly sure if he wants an answer. All he hears, though, is his own voice echoing in the empty air.  
  
He directs his attention to the inky grey walls beside him and runs his fingers over them lightly as he walks. The surface is smooth and glossy, almost like that seen in the caves of the Daknae city. He scratches his nails down the wall, his expression growing more curious when he sees that there were no marks left behind. He looked around to see if he could find something to possibly chip it, but he froze when he heard distant footsteps approaching him.  
  
He held his breath as a cloaked figure shuffled its way into sight, seemingly unfazed at Kyungsoo’s presence there. He waits for the figure to stop walking and look at him, but it doesn’t, continuing on its way even when Kyungsoo waves at it meekly. It’s just about to disappear out of sight again when Kyungsoo yells out a “Wait!” and runs after it.  
  
When he catches up, he walks beside it, trying to get a peek at what was hidden under the hood the figure was wearing. “Hey, do you know where I am?”  
  
The figure doesn’t answer, just walking straight ahead with hunched shoulders. Kyungsoo pouts slightly but stays quiet, following the figure in what feels like an endless loop. From what Kyungsoo can tell, wherever they are is some sort of oddly shaped figure since they had come across areas that have actual corners instead of just the straight walls he was used to.  
  
He’s just about to try talking to the figure again when they come to a narrow opening, the thing walking in without hesitation. Kyungsoo stops at the entrance and peeks around the corner to see multiple figures dressed in the same black cloaks like the one he had followed. He gulps at the vast number of them, a prickle of uneasiness surfacing under his skin at the eery look of them all huddling in miscellaneous groups. There were no sounds except for a few hushed murmurs and when he looks a bit harder, he notices a familiar face among the crowds. Jongin is kneeling in front of one particularly fragile looking figure, his eyes downcast as he whispered to it.  
  
Kyungsoo steps a bit closer to get a better look, the slight movement catching Jongin’s eye. The latter raises his head and stares at Kyungsoo with barely concealed shock. Even from this distance, the Lead Commander could see his eyes glowing a bright gold. Jongin wastes no time and immediately gets up and storms over, the swirling of ice blue mixing in his irises making Kyungsoo squeak in fear.  
  
Jongin roughly grabs his arm and drags him away. Kyungsoo tries not to let the whimper escape his lips when Jongin squeezes a bit too harshly, but he fails. Jongin ignores it though, only stopping when they have walked a good distance away from the others. He turns around, absolutely livid.  
  
”What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?”  
  
Kyungsoo gulps. “I-I don’t know. I think I’m sharing a dream with you.” Jongin stares intensely at him and Kyungsoo looks around with caution. “Is this what you dream about? It seems so real.”  
  
Gold takes over Jongin’s eyes once again as he processes Kyungsoo’s sincerity. “You mean-”  
  
“The stasis chambers are meant to send us into a deep sleep so we tend to dream while we’re in them. When two people share a stasis chamber, their dreams can sometimes merge.” Kyungsoo touches the marble wall closest to him, feeling the cool touch against his fingertips.  
  
Jongin seems to look a bit relieved before his stare quickly hardens. He steps closer to the Lead Commander and wraps his arms around his waist. Their bodies are flush against each other as Jongin pulls him close and grips tightly. Kyungsoo doesn’t even have time to react before he hears a dull cracking sound around him, beginning to panic as he’s enveloped into darkness.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

 

Soft velvet seemingly brushes against his lips, causing him to furrow his eyebrows. He feels warmth cup the side of his face and as he slowly begins to wake up, he realizes it’s a hand. Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open to see Jongin leaning down and slowly kissing him, the Daknae’s eyes slightly hooded but calculating. Those green swirls in his irises seemed to jolt Kyungsoo awake quicker than any shot of espresso he’s ever had in his life.  
  
The Lead Commander yelps and crawls away, almost falling out of the chamber if it wasn’t for Jongin grabbing his wrist in time. Kyungsoo looks at him, eyes as wide as saucers.  
  
“Why...Did you just?”  
  
Jongin smirks at the other’s breathless voice, obviously satisfied with how flustered Kyungsoo had become. He shrugs in response, getting up to stretch his arms above his head. Kyungsoo stares at Jongin’s flexing muscles under his tight t-shirt and blushes, mentally berating himself.  
  
What is wrong with him?  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head of his thoughts and slides off the bed, walking over to the small dresser built into the nearby wall. Jongin watches as he brings out a couple of outfits, giving a suspicious look when the Lead Commander turns to face him.  
  
Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Uh, they may not fit but they’ll have to do until I can find something your size.” He hands the shirt and sweatpants to Jongin carefully. “You can take a shower first if you want. I don’t have to be on duty just yet so…” He mentally berated himself for sounding so unprofessional but he can’t help it, not when he still has the feeling of the Daknae’s lips still lingering in his mind.  
  
Jongin smirks and wraps his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist, eyes sparking at the edges. Kyungsoo tries to fight the blush making its way on his face but fails miserably. “Why don’t we take one together, my dear Lead Commander? You know, for conservation purposes.” Jongin has a wicked smirk on his face that makes the human almost choke on his own spit.  
  
“As, uh,  _responsible_  as that sounds, I believe the ship has more than enough water supply for us both so you should just hop in without me.” He maneuvers himself out of Jongin’s grip and backs away until they are at least a few feet apart. Jongin just snickers, throwing his clothes over his shoulder.  
  
“Well, that’s a pity. I would love to see that glorious body of yours naked.”  
  
At that, Kyungsoo actually does choke, sputtering nonsense as the Daknae just gives a victorious grin and goes into the bathroom. When the door swooshes closed, Kyungsoo releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He puts a hand to his racing heart, shaking his head slightly. He’s never been one to get flustered like this. Usually he lashes out, his temper rearing its ugly head when he does. It’s one of the many reasons people are quick to follow his orders when he gives them. For some reason though, he feels like he can’t get mad at Jongin. Maybe it’s because he knows, deep in his mind, that getting mad at a superior species like a Daknae would probably do more harm than good. Look what he did to Minseok when they were trying to give him the sedative yesterday. Kyungsoo can say firsthand that throwing a person like Minseok is no easy feat, he’s tried many times when they were younger and the latter wanted to know how to play football. Needless to say, Kyungsoo got his ass beat when Minseok finally got the hang of it.  
  
The Lead Commander sighs. He needs to try to not let Jongin get under his skin or else this whole relationship Kyungsoo wishes to build is never going to work out.  
  
Kyungsoo’s thoughts are interrupted by the bathroom door swooshing open. He looks up to see Jongin rubbing his hair dry with a towel as he walks towards Kyungsoo’s general direction. Call him a coward, but the Lead Commander darts towards the bathroom with a clean uniform in hand as soon as he had the chance. He swiftly moves around Jongin and shut the door before the Daknae could even turn around and look at him.  
  
Kyungsoo lets out a breath, somewhat relieved to have avoided him. He taps on the screen for the door and makes sure it’s locked, not exactly sure if Jongin would try to come in to embarrass him even further.  
  
He walks over to the shower and taps on the pad under the shower head, choosing the ‘quick rinse’ option when it shows up on the screen. Warm water begins to flow from the shower head as soon as he hits ‘select’.  
  
Kyungsoo looks down at his clothing and sighs. He forgot to change out of his uniform before getting in the chamber last night, the clothing wrinkled in some of the parts from the way he was laying while he slept. He runs his hands down the front, unbuttoning the navy blue buttons and eventually doing the same to his trousers. He folds them up and lays them aside, taking off his underwear and throwing it to the side.  
  
When he steps under the warm water, he sighs in content. He leans his head forward and focuses on the droplets rolling down his neck and continuing on its path down his spine, letting his mind run blank for the first time that morning.  
  
  


~

 

Kyungsoo’s in the middle of straightening his collar in the mirror when he catches Jongin staring intensely at him from his spot on the bed. Jongin’s eyes are their usual deep black, lacking all of the green swirls that were present in his irises earlier this morning. Kyungsoo tries to give him a kind smile but he gets nothing in return.

Not that he was really expecting anything.

Kyungsoo looks back at the mirror and makes sure his pins and badges were in their proper place. “Just so you know, you don’t have to stay here the entire time I’m away. You can walk around, but you’ll only have access to the public deck. There’s a nice balcony and a cafeteria if you get hungry.” The Lead Commander tries to sound cheerful but Jongin’s face just became even more stoic, if that’s possible.

Kyungsoo frowns. He wants to assure him that he can’t walk anywhere he wants because he doesn’t have the proper clearance to get into any of the other levels of the ship or the other employee's rooms besides Kyungsoo's own, but he bites his tongue. If he could, Kyungsoo would give the Daknae access to almost everything but he just can’t. From the expression on Jongin’s face, though, Kyungsoo knows he probably doesn’t care. That in his mind, he’s still a prisoner.

The Lead Commander really wants to remind him that he is most certainly not a prisoner here, but he knows anything he says right now will go on deaf ears. Jongin’s mood has quickly turned sour within the last few minutes so talking to him will probably be like talking to a wall.

Kyungsoo sighs after putting his cap on to complete his uniform. He turns around and stares at the Daknae. Jongin had curled in on himself, his back leaning against the wall and his legs pulled to his chest. The sweatpants are a bit short, riding up and above his ankles, and it’s a bit tight around his crotch area but at least the shirt seems to fit him well enough. It was the largest Kyungsoo could find in his wardrobe.

The Lead Commander walks toward the bed hesitantly. “Would you like to eat breakfast together? The cafeteria food isn’t so bad if you order off of the human part of the menu.”

Jongin looks away from him and looks out at the window, his gaze unfocused and blank as he does so. Kyungsoo gets a disgruntled look. He doesn’t feel right leaving the other here by himself but he really needs to go soon. He scratches the back of his neck and looks to the door then back at the Daknae. “How about I stop by in a bit and bring some food for us to eat together here?” this time, his voice is softer and it’s more evident that he’s actually concerned for the other.

Jongin does not answer once again so Kyungsoo gives up, saying he’ll be back later anyways to check up on how the other is doing. Jongin doesn’t even acknowledge him. Instead he stares intensely at the planets in the distance. Kyungsoo’s shoulder deflate once he leaves the room and begins walking toward the flight deck. He can’t help but feel a tad bit disappointed that the playfulness in Jongin’s attitude leaves him so easily. He’d much rather have the Daknae teasing him than ignoring him outright despite hating the feeling of getting flustered so easily.

Much to Kyungsoo’s dismay, it seems getting the other to come out of his shell is going to be much harder than he’d originally thought.

 

~

  
  
  
A week passed by in a flash. Which doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Kyungsoo considering his schedule consists of the same thing every day. In the morning he leaves to the flight deck and talks with his superiors on updates on the case since he hasn’t really been keeping up with his daily reports. Not that they care. They have no doubt that Kyungsoo is doing what he’s supposed to do. They’re just more curious than anything, especially since he told them of Jongin.  
  
He spends most of his day monitoring his flight crew, usually not having to give any orders considering they do their job very well. He just has to be there in case there is some sort of an emergency. They are flying through rebel territory after all.  
  
Today he is just counting the stars in the distance considering not much else is going on. He had surprised his people when he informed them that they were not going back to HR-2245 except to pick up the rest of the crew that had stayed behind there. Instead, they were going back to their main research facility since there was nothing left for them on the Daknaes’ planet. One of the navigational members suggested they jump to lightspeed again to cut the trip in half but Kyungsoo shot down the idea, saying a little down time for everyone wouldn’t hurt. In truth, he doesn’t think it would be a good idea since Jongin needs to get acclimated with his crew as well as with Kyungsoo himself.  
  
Jongin has been nothing but trouble lately and it’s exhausting Kyungsoo to no end. He tried to give the Daknae the freedom to walk around and interact with Kyungsoo’s crew but all he does is stay in Kyungsoo’s room and stare out his window. Kyungsoo had tried to push him to at least eat in the cafeteria with him but Jongin had refused and lashed out until the Lead Commander backed off and left him alone. Another worry is that the other male hasn’t eaten a single bite of food since he arrived on this ship, instead choosing to throw it on the ground like some child throwing a tantrum. Kyungsoo had talked to him about it but Jongin just shrugs it off, again, choosing to stare out the window of the Lead Commander’s room.  
  
As playful and mischievous as he had been when they first met, Kyungsoo has a hunch that the Daknae was just placating him to get out of that prison in one piece. Kyungsoo really doesn’t blame him, he probably would have done the same afterall. It’s a little disappointing to the Lead Commander, though. Jongin’s eyes are never alive with color anymore except for a small flash of ice blue when Kyungsoo or Minseok try to get him to at least walk around the ship a bit to stretch his legs.  
  
As excited as Kyungsoo had been to meet Jongin because of his race, that excitement is fading. Instead it’s replaced by an extreme worry for his wellbeing as well as frustration at his bratty behavior. The Lead Commander is at his wits end with Jongin, if he was being honest. He tries to have a conversation with him at night when they are getting ready for bed, but he gets ignored. He tries to not let it get to him but he just wants the other to talk to him, even if it’s something as simple as what the Daknae had done that day, what he saw as he stared out his window. It hurts Kyungsoo’s heart that Jongin is so silent all the time.  
  
Kyungsoo looks to Minseok and whispers that he’s going to go get lunch for him and Jongin. Minseok gives him a sympathetic look. “Hopefully he eats today,” the Lieutenant says softly.  
  
Kyungsoo nods and gets up from his spot in his chair centered in the middle of the flight deck and heads to the elevator to bring him down to the cafeteria. During his ride down, his mind is racing with thoughts of Jongin Jongin  _Jongin_. He’s not exactly sure when it started to happen, but the Daknae is constantly on his mind at all hours of the day. He blames it on his motherly tendencies to over worry for those around him. He has a habit of getting emotionally invested in people he cares about. Minseok tells him that it’s a curse wrapped in a blessing and Kyungsoo can’t help to agree.  
  
He makes his way to the cafeteria and orders two bowls of meat stew, figuring that if Jongin ate it would probably be the best thing for his empty stomach. He heads back to his room, carefully balancing the bowls in his hands. He says his name and title when he gets to the door and it slides open. He doesn’t even look around, going to put down the bowls before they slip from his grasp. He smiles when he turns to face Jongin but it falls when he realizes there isn’t anyone there. He opens the bathroom door and notices that was empty as well. The Lead Commander blinks. Could it be that Jongin finally decided to leave the room? As much as he wants to believe that, he’s still suspicious considering he didn’t see him in the cafeteria when he was in there. There were only a few other crew members eating their meals when he got their food, so he knows the Daknae wasn’t in there. He also couldn’t be strolling down the hall either because they would have crossed paths on the way here.  
  
He looks around, alarmed and noticed the breakfast his crew member had brought from earlier is splattered all over the wall, some on the ground as if someone kicked it. There were also glass shards everywhere, covered in a clear liquid. Kyungsoo bends down to touch it and realizes it was water. He looks up again. “Jongin?”  
  
All that answered him is a thick silence. The Lead Commander left his bedroom and briskly made his way to the public viewing deck only to find it empty. His heart drops and he runs back to his room just to make sure that the other is not playing some sort of prank on him. He tears up the covers of the bed and even gets on his hands and knees to check underneath.  
  
Nothing.  
  
He goes to tap his wrist monitor to call Minseok but he realizes he took it off when he was at the flight deck. He runs to the com mounted on the wall down the hall from his room. He types the number for the flight deck and one of the members picks up immediately. “This is the flight deck.”  
  
Kyungsoo tries to keep his voice calm but fails. “Can you tell me if the Daknae left my room while I was on duty earlier?”  
  
The woman on the other end sputters a bit. “Of course Lead Commander. I’m bringing up the log right now. Is there something wrong?”  
  
“I can’t find him anywhere.”  
  
The woman hums and gets quiet. “Sir, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”  
  
Kyungsoo huffs. “Of course! I just checked my entire room and he wasn’t there. He wasn’t at the cafeteria or the viewing deck either.”  
  
There is another silence, like the woman was hesitating. “Sir, it says that the only person that entered and left your room today was you.”  
  
Kyungsoo freezes. How is that even possible? He looks back to his closed door a few feet away and swallows. “Maybe I missed him then.Thank you anyway. I’ll call back if I still can’t find him.” He ends the call before she could answer and stares intensely at his room. Could it be that he really missed him somehow?  
  
No. That can’t be. He looked everywhere.  
  
Hesitantly, he steps toward his cabin door, shakily giving his name and title once again to open it. The moment it slides open, he finds Jongin laying on their bed, his head hanging off the side as he blows puffs of air at his hair. He doesn’t even react when Kyungsoo comes in, the sound of the door sliding shut following somewhere behind him.  
  
Kyungsoo clears his throat and Jongin sits up slowly, staring at him mockingly. “What?”  
  
The Lead Commander huffs. “What do you mean  _‘what’_? Where the hell were you?”  
  
Jongin tongues the inside of his cheek but doesn’t say anything, his levelheaded stare egging Kyungsoo on more than anything. Kyungsoo stands there for few moments just staring before letting out a deep breath, shoulders sagging as he brings his hand up to rub his temples.  _‘Getting mad won’t do anything_ ,’ he chants to himself. Honestly it’s not like Jongin actually did anything wrong.  
  
Well, except for kicking his breakfast into the wall again. Kyungsoo really thinks he may have been a soccer player in his other life because the food always lands in the same places every time. It boils Kyungsoo’s blood because Jongin never cleans it up. Instead he sits on the bed and just pouts like some sort of child that needs a severe spanking, but Kyungsoo never says or does anything. He just silently cleans it up and acts like nothing happened.  
  
Looking down at today’s mess, though, he can’t hold back the angry shiver that racks through his body. His grits his teeth and his face flushes from the pent up frustration. He glares harshly at Jongin and points to the wasted food. “Are you not going to clean it up? It’s your mess, not mine.”  
  
Jongin rolls his eyes and scoffs, only adding more fuel to the fire blazing in Kyungsoo’s stomach. His blood feels like it turns to acid when all the Daknae does is look out the window like he does anytime Kyungsoo tries to talk to him. He grits his teeth. “I’m talking to you. The least you could do is fucking look at me, you prick.”  
  
Jongin whips his head back around to face the Lead Commander, ice blue eyes narrowed in a haunting glare. Kyungsoo stares back, no longer intimidated by the other’s ‘cold-shoulder’ antics. The tension between the two is thick and heavy, and, like usual, Kyungsoo is the first to back off and cool down. He walks to the bathroom and looks into the mirror, putting a hand to his head from the mental exhaustion he’s gone through for the past week or so.  
  
He can’t win. He’ll never win. And that’s why Jongin does what he does.  
  
Kyungsoo sighs in defeat and grabs an extra towel laying in one of the cupboards. He begrudgingly makes his way back out to their now shared room and kneels on the floor, uncaring if his white uniform gets dirty in the process. Not a word is exchanged between Jongin and Kyungsoo as the human gently wipes up the runny eggs and dried milk off the floor. Kyungsoo can feel, though, Jongin’s heavy stare boring into the back of his head as he picks up each individual piece of cereal scattered across the floor, but he ignores it for now.  
  
When he finishes, he discards towel and the food. He stands in front of the bed and crosses his arms. “Jongin please tell me what’s going on inside your head because I really can’t tell.”  
  
Jongin stares at him, his lips ticking into a small snarl. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”  
  
“You haven’t eaten a thing since you arrived on this ship. Surely that can’t be healthy, even for a Daknae.”  
  
Jongin’s eyes are getting swirls of ice blue around the edges as he leans forward, still sitting indian style on top of the comforter. “Fuck off.”  
  
Kyungsoo flinches at the other’s words but immediately felt his blood boil. “I’m just trying to understand you Jongin. This isn’t because of my job or the case on your people. I’m only worried about you right now because I care, nothing else.”  
  
Jongin scoffs and rolls his eyes. “You don’t care about me.” When Kyungsoo goes to retort, Jongin’s flashed a glacier blue. “Admit it, I wouldn’t be here with you right now if I wasn’t of some use to you. You would have let them take me and keep me at Kara without a second thought. Instead, you figured out I was a Daknae and came running to get me. So don’t lie to my face because I know how you people are. You can try to manipulate me and get me to open up to you, but it won’t happen.”  
  
Kyungsoo looks at him desperately because he’s misinterpreting Kyungsoo’s intentions. While yes, the only reason the Lead Commander went to take him from Kara was because he was possibly linked to the Daknaes, Kyungsoo doesn’t care about that anymore. He’s not going to treat Jongin like he’s some sort of specimen under a microscope. He’s a living, breathing being with his own rights, but all Kyungsoo has been trying to do recently is be a friend. He hasn’t even pushed the Daknae for answers to some of his questions about his people’s culture. He’s just trying to show Jongin he can be comfortable here, that Kyungsoo isn’t like those neanderthals back on Kara.  
  
The bright blue in Jongin’s eyes do not dissipate and Kyungsoo bites his lip. “To me, you come before this uniform and what it entails. But if that’s what you want to think, then it’s your choice.” Jongin’s eyes narrow in what seems to be suspicion. Kyungsoo just shakes his head and drags himself to the door, craning his neck to look back at Jongin. “Lunch is on the table if you want it. Try not to throw another tantrum and spill it everywhere while I’m gone.”  
  
There is a low, threatening growl coming from the other end of the room just as Kyungsoo steps out, the door closing shut shortly after.  
  
  


~

  
  
  
It’s a few hours later and Minseok is currently walking with him back to their respective cabins. It’s silent between the two and Kyungsoo knows exactly what’s coming, especially when Minseok turns to give him a disgruntled look. “So are you going to tell me what’s going on with you or am I going to have to force it out of you?” Kyungsoo gives him a levelheaded stare. They are still in uniform, in public at that, even if it’s the cabin hallway. Minseok squints his eyes. “Fine. So are you going to tell me what’s going on with you or am I going to have to force it out of you,  _sir_?”  
  
The Lead Commander tongues his cheek, not exactly sure how to explain. Minseok seems to beat him to the punch though. “Is it about Jongin?”  
  
Kyungsoo sighs. It seems like it’s all he does these days. “Well. Yes and no. I feel like I got off on the wrong foot with him so I feel a bit guilty.”  
  
Minseok gives him a questioning look. “Guilty?”  
  
Kyungsoo nods. “We had a fight earlier this morning- er, well. He got pissed off and I backed off like usual.” Well. Kind of backed off. He got a few words in before leaving. Minseok nods in understanding so the human continues. “He said something that really made me think today. He said that I don’t care about him and that I’m only being good to him because I’m studying his people.”  
  
The Lieutenant purses his lips. “Isn’t that the truth though?”  
  
Kyungsoo stops walking. “What?”  
  
Minseok stops as well, putting a hand on his hip. “I mean technically he’s only here because he has the potential to help us in our case. Sure I’m concerned why he’s being so rude all the time, but to be quite honest, I really couldn’t care less about his presence on board.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes went wide, a bit horrified. “But aren’t you worried about his welfare? He hasn’t eaten the entire time he has been on board with us! And he always stays cooped up in my room all the time and doesn’t socialize with others. That can drive a person insane, you know!”  
  
Minseok gives him a soft look. “Lead Commander, inevitably, it’s Jongin’s choice if he wants to eat or get up and walk around. I don’t care about him that much that he’s on my mind as often as he’s on yours.” Kyungsoo wants to retort but just cuts himself off. Minseok has a point. Kyungsoo thinks about Jongin entirely too much for their relationship to be just entirely work related. The Lead Commander can’t help, though, to feel the need to take care of him and help him. Jongin must be so alone, even with that hard shell he uses to keep others out. Kyungsoo just wants to be there for him, and call him selfish but he will keep trying to help Jongin even if he doesn’t want it.  
  
Kyungsoo looks to the floor, his shoulders slumped. “I just want to help him.”  
  
Minseok steps forward and puts a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Perhaps you should start behaving more comfortably around him like you do with me since it’s obvious your feelings toward him aren’t at all work related.”  
  
Kyungsoo blinks, not really understanding what Minseok is saying. “Wait. No ‘Seok you got the wrong idea.”  
  
Minseok has a smug grin and pats Kyungsoo’s cheek. “No need to worry about me telling anyone Kyungsoo, my lips are sealed. Although I’m sure Sehun from the engine room would love to hear all about it.” Minseok waved his hand. “You know how he is with gossip. He eats that stuff up.”  
  
Kyungsoo holds his temples. “Don’t make me write you up for misconduct Lieutenant.”  
  
Minseok gives him a judging face. “Please. We both know that will never happen. Now let’s hurry up and get back to our rooms. I’m exhausted from standing behind you all day and repeating your orders to the crew for no reason at all.”  
  
The Lead Commander snorts, falling back into steps the latter. “Do you think Jongin will ever open up?”  
  
Minseok hums. “I think so. Even someone with the toughest walls can be vulnerable.”  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I don’t think Jongin has any vulnerabilities.” In fact, the human is pretty sure Jongin’s walls are impenetrable at this point.  
  
“Everyone has vulnerabilities. Jongin has a ton of them. Why do you think he’s so rude all the time?” Kyungsoo looks at Minseok curiously. “The thing is, with people like Jongin you have to throw them off somehow, you know? Maybe turn the tables around on him and treat him the way he treats you.”  
  
Kyungsoo gives a small sound in agreement. “I never thought of it that way.”  
  
Minseok nods. “Even if it’s just for a moment, Jongin’s vulnerability will show through and that’s when you make your move. Try it. If that doesn’t work then I’m sorry to say that Jongin may be a lost cause.”  
  
The both come to a stop at Minseok’s door and the Lieutenant pats his arm. “Good luck Kyungsoo. Let me know how it goes in the morning.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “Sleep well Minseok.” The latter turns and gives his credentials to the security monitor and steps into his room. Kyungsoo continues his way down the pristine white halls of the ship in deep thought. Minseok’s plan is a pretty good idea, but Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how to approach the Daknae with it. It probably won’t be too hard considering Jongin likes to get angry at Kyungsoo almost on a daily basis.  
  
When Kyungsoo steps into their now shared room, he finds it in pieces. The food from earlier is all over the floor once again, but that's not the worst of it. His personal notes from his binder are ripped to shreds and are spread to every corner of the room, his personal belongings from his home planet lying broken on the floor as well. Kyungsoo feels his blood boil to the point that it almost physically hurts, his nose getting a pricking sensation as tears begin to gather in his eyes.  
  
He barely registers the dull sound of the shower running before he stomps over to the bathroom door. He’s knocks on it with a force he didn’t even know he possessed, but got nothing but silence in return. He was pressing the keys for the door to open when he hesitated, his finger hovering over the final override button. He feels his shoulders slump and drops his hand to his side, leaning his forehead on the cold metal of the bathroom door. He tries to will away the stinging in his eyes, but it just isn't working. A few tears fall against his will as he releases a shaky sigh. When he wipes his eyes, he looks at his wrecked room. He gives a small ‘okay’ before grabbing the small dust pan he keeps by his desk and getting to work.  
  
By the time Jongin comes out of the shower, platinum blonde hair damp and a towel hanging around his neck, Kyungsoo is already done cleaning. The Lead Commander had left a pair of clean clothes in front of the bathroom door for him, so when he hears small rustling sounds behind him, he can tell Jongin is getting dressed.  
  
Kyungsoo sits at his desk with his head in his hands, not uttering a word. He hears the soft padding of feet halt somewhere behind him and Kyungsoo could almost start crying in frustration because he is so sick of the twisting silence that comes with the Daknae. He decides to distract himself, opening his binder full of all of the data on the Daknae people he has collected so far and starts to rewrite his notes Jongin had previously torn up. He’s in the middle of finishing the first page when he hears a soft “What are you doing?”  
  
Kyungsoo figures two can play at this quiet game Jongin seems to like so much and ignores the said male in favor of continuing his writing. He’s also still pretty pissed about how extensive Jongin was when he decided to wreck Kyungsoo’s room. The notes aren’t that big of a deal since Kyungsoo has copies on his holopad, but some of his keepsakes are irreplaceable.  
  
He hears Jongin walk closer to him and seemingly leans over his shoulder. “Is that information on my people?” Kyungsoo tries not to jump at the hot breath on his ear and, for the most part, he succeeds. The Lead Commander moves his body away from Jongin, dragging the papers in front of him closer. He can see from the corner of his eye that Jongin turns to look down at him and makes a disgruntled face, staring at Kyungsoo’s side profile for a bit. When all Kyungsoo does is turn a page in his binder in response, Jongin clicks his tongue.  
  
“Are you being like this because I destroyed your room?” Kyungsoo draws a column on the sheet he’s currently writing on and titles it  _‘Behavior Analysis For Kim Jongin’_. He jots down  _‘Nosey’_  at the top. Jongin smirks to himself, not seeing what the human is writing and instead takes his silence as a confirmation to the question. “I thought I made a nice touch to this organized mess, my dear Lead Commander.”  
  
Kyungsoo adds  _‘Arrogant’_  right under  _‘Nosey’_  and then sticks the paper under the binder before Jongin can see. He continues to sift through his papers and glances at his holopad every once and in a while to see what exact pages he was missing that Jongin had ruined.  
  
There is silence before Kyungsoo sees Jongin’s shoulders slump. The Daknae leans on the wall beside his desk gives a deep sigh. “Look Kyungsoo, I-” He stops talking as soon as Kyungsoo looks up at him, gulping when he notices the blank look on the Lead Commander’s face. From the small distance between them, Kyungsoo can see Jongin’s eyes have taken on a dull silver. “I’m sorry. I was just so angry at what you said before you left and I couldn’t control my emotions. I-,” He hesitates for a few seconds, “ I promise I won’t do it again.”  
  
Kyungsoo can tell Jongin’s being sincere or else his eyes wouldn't have changed in color, but his conversation with Minseok earlier reminds him that he needs to prove a point for them to properly move on from whatever tension there is. Even if that means ignoring Jongin’s apology despite every fiber of his being wanting to say ‘It’s okay’ and forgive him right then and there. In truth, he already has.  
  
What can he say? He’s has a huge soft spot for the Daknae even if he doesn't exactly understand why.  
  
Kyungsoo stares for a few seconds, giving him an uninterested glare that he hopes is convincing enough before looking back at his work in front of him. Kyungsoo can practically feel Jongin’s anger spike, seeing the ice blue flash in his eyes. “So that’s how it’s going to be?” Jongin spat. “I apologize and you just go on and ignore me like-”  
  
Kyungsoo abruptly turns around and gives him a menacing look. Quietly, he says “It must be frustrating being ignored, huh? Having everything you say go on deaf ears? Or even getting nothing but a glare in response to anything you say?” Jongin is stunned into silence.  
  
The atmosphere is thick with tension and to Kyungsoo’s relief, Jongin isn’t lashing out. Instead, he is standing there, frozen to his spot. There is a bit of gold slithering around the edges of his irises, but mostly that dull silver from before has dominated any other color present. Kyungsoo begins to feel a small part of his heart ache when he sees Jongin’s face morph into such a scared look. In fact, he’s pretty sure he’s never seen the Daknae look that helpless in the entire time he’s been on this ship. Even at the prisons there wasn’t an ounce of fear etched onto his face.  
  
Jongin opens his mouth a few times to say something but stops short. Kyungsoo decides he’s had enough of being so standoffish and gets up from his chair. He approaches Jongin and gives him a small smile. “I think we may need a break from each other for a bit, don't you agree? I’ll let you have my room. Minseok’s down the hall if you need him.”  
  
Jongin looks at him urgently. “Wait Kyungsoo I didn’t-”  
  
Kyungsoo reaches out and gently brushes the other’s damp hair out of his eyes, effectively shutting him up. “I’ll be in the medical station if you need me. Goodnight Jongin.”  
  
Jongin is seemingly out of breath from the other’s delicate touch. Kyungsoo uses this to his advantage and withdrawals his hand, leaving as quick as possible. The door swooshes close behind him, leaving him all by himself. He releases a breath he didn't know he was holding once he gets into the quiet hallway.  
  
The Lead Commander looks back at the pristine white door to his room and sighs. His heart feels a bit heavy thinking about leaving Jongin there on his own, but he thinks this may be for the best. He’s getting too attached to Jongin for some reason and he has some suspicions that might be one of the reasons the Daknae acts the way he does. He’s getting too close, acting too much like a mother hen rather than just an acquaintance. Then again, when Kyungsoo talked about leaving the other alone just now, Jongin look so scared.  
  
The Lead Commander shakes his head. No, he’s just over analysing things. Jongin probably doesn’t give a shit if Kyungsoo leaves him. The Daknae is probably more worried about what will happen to him if the Lead Commander decides he’s no longer welcome on the ship.  
  
 _‘But then if that was the case, wouldn’t he be on his best behavior all the time?_ ’ a small voice says from the back of his head. Kyungsoo grumbles and rubs his eyes. He’s so mentally exhausted from trying to figure Jongin out for the last week that he he’s beginning to go insane.  
  
As he enters the medical station, the nurse gives him a very concerned look. “Lead Commander Do? Are you alright?”  
  
Kyungsoo gives a tired smile. “Yes, I’m fine. I was wondering if you had any extra beds tonight?”  
  
She sends him an understanding look, probably remembering the Lead Commander bringing the Daknae back to his room the day they tried to get Jongin to go into the stasis chamber. “Right this way, sir.” She led him to a small area close to the nurse’s desk and when she pulled back the curtain, she gestured to the twin bed lying on the other side. “Would you like some spare clothes, sir?”  
  
Kyungsoo glances down at his uniform and nods. “That would be great.”  
  
She bows her head slightly and walks off. Kyungsoo looks at the bed and presses his hand into the mattress. He cringes at the firmness that meets his touch. He’s definitely going to sleep like shit tonight.  
  
“Here you go, Lead Commander Do.” Kyungsoo smiles when he sees the nurse holding out a pair of scrubs similar to the light green ones she is wearing. “We had a few extra in the back. Let me know if they don’t fit you and I’ll try to find another size.”  
  
Kyungsoo takes the clothes. “These will do. Thank you.”  
  
The nurse nods. “Oh and I’m sorry about all of the noise. A few patients need to have their hearts monitored and we have to keep the sound on so we can hear it from the front desk.”  
  
Kyungsoo frowns at the thought of one of his crew members being sick. “That’s okay. I understand.”  
  
She smiles and waves. “Have a good night Lead Commander Do.” The curtain is pulled closed as soon as she leaves. He hears a faint, irregular beeping in the background and grunts. He didn’t even notice the sounds before but now he’s not going to  _stop_  hearing it. In the end, however, it’s one of his crew members that’s sick so he supposes that he shouldn’t be too irritated at it.  
  
He shrugs out of his uniform jacket, the badges clanking when they brush against each other. He undoes his belt and steps out of his pants as well, folding them up and putting them with his jacket on the small table by the bed. He slips on the scrubs and flops into bed, making a disgruntled face at the lack of give even with his whole body on top of it.  
  
His mind thinks back to Jongin as he lays there in the dimly lit room, curled up on his side and hugging one of the pillows to his chest. He really hopes Jongin will come around this time or else Kyungsoo may really have to give up. He has this strong feeling in his heart, though, that this will be the breakthrough they needed. If this all works out, he’ll definitely have to thank Minseok because without him, Kyungsoo would probably be in his room arguing with Jongin over  _something_. Whether it be the mess he made, or the fact that he refuses to eat anything.  
  
Kyungsoo sighs, closing his eyes and snuggling into his pillow. Let’s just hope there won’t be any problems come morning time.  
  
  


~

 

All Kyungsoo can register before his eyes are snapping open is the feeling of being violently shaken. He sits straight up and glares menacingly at the very person responsible for being manhandled awake. Minseok is smiling widely, practically jumping up and down in excitement. “Get up and get your ass to the cafeteria. There’s something you need to see.”

Kyungsoo blinks blearily at him before glancing at the digital clock hanging by his bed. He squints at the red numbers and realizes he’s only been sleeping for about 4 hours. He looks back to Minseok, who isn’t even in uniform yet. “What are you even doing awake?”

Minseok shrugs. “You know I don't like going to the cafeteria during the busy hours so I always get up early. You can imagine my surprise to actually see someone else there already when I arrived.”

Kyungsoo yawns. “And why the hell does that make you think ‘Oh, I should go wake up Kyungsoo by giving him a god damn heart attack’?”

Minseok gives him a levelheaded stare and pushes him out of bed with a little more force than necessary. Kyungsoo stumbles out and struggles to regain his footing without falling flat on his face. “Just go,” Minseok says. “Trust me, it’s worth it.”

Kyungsoo gives him a suspicious look before opening the curtain and stumbling towards the exit. When he enters the hallway, he blinks groggily, still not fully awake. His feet scuff softly on the floor and it’s then that he realizes he doesn’t exactly have any shoes on at the moment. Or socks.

He reaches up to smooth down his hair but gives up when he just makes it even more of a mess, strands sticking up this way and that. It’s bad enough he’s walking the halls of the ship without his uniform on, but with the way he feels and the look of the dull reflection of himself in the windows, he’s definitely a hot mess right now. This would a protocol nightmare if anyone were to catch him and report him, but in all honesty it’s way too early for anyone to be up right now. Well, besides Minseok. And apparently this other person Kyungsoo just had to see. They must be as crazy as Minseok to be up like this. The cooking staff isn’t even on duty. The only food offered are things like various fruits or muffins. There are some milk cartons as well but sometimes the staff locks the fridge so no one can drink them all in one go. Kyungsoo admits that he may or may not have contributed to that since he was the one that sneaked a large bag full of chocolate milk and brought them back to his room to share with Minseok and other close friends on the ship.

Once Kyungsoo enters the cafeteria he stops and stares at what seems to be a familiar hunched figure in the far corner of the room, silver hair falling foward to hide the man’s face. There is a single, untouched muffin on the plate in front of him. Kyungsoo grabs a banana before curiously making his way over to Jongin, suddenly wide awake with the sight of the Daknae actually outside of his room.

When he sits down in front of him, Jongin nearly jumps a meter into the air. His eyes get a golden tint to them as he looks at Kyungsoo with surprise and shock, but Kyungsoo pays no mind to that and just gives him a kind smile. “Good morning,” he says, peeling the banana and taking a bite.

Jongin stares at him, eyes desperate as he opens and closes his mouth- probably to apologize again and if that’s the case, Kyungsoo will have none of that. There is nothing to apologize for anymore.

Kyungsoo just shoves the banana in his mouth and groans. “Never sleep in the medical station. There are too many machines buzzing and the beeping will keep you from getting any sort of sleep. I was ready to tape my ears shut to be honest.”

Jongin blinks but slowly chews the banana, chuckling lightly at Kyungsoo’s story. “Yeah,” he says quietly, “I could see that being true.”

Kyungsoo beams at the small smile on Jongin’s face. It was obvious he was amused, but unlike any other time, there is no sign of green swirls in the Daknae’s irises so Kyungsoo continues. “There was this one time I had to stay in the hospital back on Earth when I was younger. It was crazy how many people they fit into one room. I didn’t sleep at all, it was horrible.”

Jongin gives him a small, concerned look. “Were you sick?”

“Ah, no not really. I had to have my tonsils taken out.”

“Tonsils?” Jongin asks, tilting his head and poking his muffin. Kyungsoo smiles at the other’s curiosity.

This is how Kyungsoo begins talking about everything and anything, from his tonsil removal to even his pet lizard he had when he was twelve. They both talked so comfortably, like nothing had even happened between them- like Jongin hadn’t been an unreasonable pain in the ass since the beginning- that one could easily mistake them for good friends. Their conversations aren’t very deep and Jongin really doesn’t contribute anything except curious questions he may have about the the Lead Commander’s stories, but Kyungsoo can tell he’s actually listening to him ramble on and on. For now, that’s good enough for him. He’s just ecstatic that Jongin is actually opening up to him now, even if it’s just by a tiny bit.

Kyungsoo’s in the middle of telling Jongin an embarrassing story about Minseok during their college years when he makes eye contact with the Daknae and notices something. Jongin is still curled in on himself and quietly listening, but the human swears he sees a slight tint of a soft, pale peach tinging his irises. Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure what it means as far as emotions go, but he can only hope that it means progress for the both of them.

And it does because, from then on, Jongin walks with Kyungsoo to the cafeteria for all of their meals. While the Daknae still shies away from being the subject of the conversation, he still listens closely to Kyungsoo’s stories and chimes in when he sees fit. Occasionally, Jongin would glare at onlookers and sit with his back to the entrance if the area is too crowded, but his behavior isn’t too intimidating anymore. Kyungsoo’s crew members still stay clear of their table though.

Other than that, there isn’t really as many problems anymore. The only thing that Kyungsoo could count as a bad thing is that Jongin is definitely getting a lot more touchy within the last few weeks they have been spending time together. The Daknae seems to like having some part of his body touch Kyungsoo, even if it’s just their fingers barely brushing if they are sitting next to each other or their knees bumping gently under the table. Kyungsoo doesn’t comment on it and neither does Jongin.

The Lead Commander can’t deny that he loves the extra attention he’s receiving from the Daknae, but that is exactly the problem. Normally, this sort of closeness would excite Kyungsoo to no end, but the problem lies with his own internal conflict. Whenever Jongin so much as lays a hand on him in some way, he feels his chest tighten and his heart flutter. He knows the feelings he has towards Jongin are not exactly those of an acquaintance or friend and he may or may not be getting a huge crush on him.

He doesn’t exactly know what to do about this crush either. He thinks maybe he should tell someone, like Minseok or one of the crew mates he’s close with, but he knows if Jongin somehow ever found out, he would be the subject of the Daknae’s teasing once again. That and Kyungsoo could be potentially kicked off the case if his superiors got wind of it and think he’s too emotionally invested.

He guesses he’ll just have to keep it as his own little secret for now. Although he’s pretty sure Minseok already knows just by how flustered Kyungsoo gets whenever the Lieutenant so much as mentions Jongin. Thankfully, though, Minseok doesn’t do anything more than smirk and say the occasional snide remark when they’re alone.

As far as progress for the actual case goes, there hasn’t been any cracks in the case like Kyungsoo’s superiors would have wished for, but they know this case is different from the others in the past and trust Kyungsoo’s judgement on the matters. Kyungsoo can also tell his crew is getting a tad bit impatient with things, but he knows they understand as well. They’re probably just sick of being cooped up in the ship for so long. They are scientists after all, not space travelers. They would much rather be in their research labs or down on some planet taking samples, not stuck in a hunk of metal traveling at a snail's pace in the middle of space. Kyungsoo really doesn’t blame them. It can be unnerving to him as well since the only thing separating them from certain death is a few sheets of metal. He’s grown used to it though.

The day before Kyungsoo was assured by his second in command that they would reach the research facility in four days or so, Kyungsoo decided to send out the announcement over the loudspeaker to boost morale. Everyone seemed to have a bit more pep in their step after that so Kyungsoo feels a lot more content.

Kyungsoo has noticed, though, that as the days go by, Jongin seems to be getting more and more anxious. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t exactly know what’s going to happen to him once they arrive at the research facility, but then again Kyungsoo can never really tell what’s going on in the Daknae’s head. He’s just too hard to read.

 

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

 

 

 

They’re both in their room, Jongin sitting on the bed and Kyungsoo brushing his teeth at the sink. Kyungsoo rinses his mouth and pats his face dry, glancing at the Daknae in the mirror. The latter has a morose expression on his face as he stares out the nearby window with interest. Kyungsoo hangs his towel back up before walking towards Jongin. He sits on the bed right next to him, the mattress dipping slightly from his weight.  
  
Kyungsoo looks out the window as well, seeing millions of stars in the the distance. “Beautiful aren’t they?”  
  
Jongin hums. “There’s just so many. It’s hard to choose just one to look at.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “I used to stare at them a lot when I was a kid. It brought me some sort of peace, you know?”  
  
Jongin gives a quiet ‘hmph’. “It just gives me anxiety,” he mumbles.  
  
The Lead Commander tilts his head in question but just pats Jongin’s back lightly. “It’s different for everyone, I guess.” Jongin offers him a soft smile before looking back out at the window. Kyungsoo swallows nervously and fiddles with his fingers. “You know Jongin.”  
  
The blonde looks back at him and Kyungsoo clears his throat. “I hope you know when we get to the Intergalactic Peace Corps’ base, nothing will change. You’ll still be free to do whatever you want. In fact you’ll actually have access to more areas like the library or the garden. You could even have your own room all to yourself. I can try to pull some strings so you can get a room with lots of space so if you want to be by yourself, you can just stay in there. I’ll drop by and visit when I can, I promise.” He’s going to be extremely busy once he gets back to base so he probably won’t be able to see him often, which kind of puts a major damper on his mood, but he’s sure Jongin needs his space. Kyungsoo can’t always be by his side, right?  
  
Jongin nods sullenly. “Ah, that sounds great…”  
  
Kyungsoo stares at him in concern. Maybe that wasn’t what Jongin was actually worried about after all. Whatever it is, Jongin seems extremely conflicted as he stares at Kyungsoo unblinkingly. He curls into himself and stares ahead, resting his head on his arms while his knees are held against his chest.  
  
Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure what to say so he decides to just let it rest. He’s learned that pushing Jongin isn’t always the best idea. He’s noticed when the Daknae is ready, he’ll approach Kyungsoo about whatever is on his mind, but until then the Lead Commander would be left in the dark.  
  
He gives Jongin a smile. “We should get to sleep. We’ll wake up early and go to the cafeteria together so we can get the food when it’s fresh.”  
  
Jongin hums in agreement but doesn’t move. Kyungsoo pouts, hesitating before getting up to turn off the lights. When he slides under the covers, he lays on his side with his back to Jongin. He usually has to sleep like this because if he’s not careful he may just wake up with his body sprawled out over Jongin’s. Let’s just say, he’s an extremely aggressive cuddler.  
  
It’s silent for a while and he’s on the verge of falling asleep when he hears a small sob. “Kyungsoo?” Jongin’s voice sounds so small and pitiful that the Lead Commander turns his body around to face him. Jongin is now sitting with his knees crossed and his back hunched.  
  
Kyungsoo sits up and stares. “Jongin?”  
  
Jongin looks at him tentatively and even in the dim lighting, Kyungsoo can see a dull silver filling his irises. “What if I don’t want my own room?…”  
  
The small crack in Jongin’s voice strikes straight through his heart. Kyungsoo goes to say something in return but finds his mind is blank. He is so thrown off at the raw emotion in Jongin’s voice that he has no idea what to say. All he can think to do is hug Jongin close to him, heart leaping in joy when the latter leans into his touch. “Of course Jongin. You don’t have to have your own room.”  
  
 _You don’t have to be alone._  
  
It takes a few minutes, but eventually Jongin looks up at Kyungsoo with such a heartwarming smile that Kyungsoo swears he’s going to have a heart attack. Jongin hugs him back, burying his face in the human’s neck. Kyungsoo tries to will his heart to stop beating so fast but he can’t help it. This is the most affectionate Jongin’s ever been towards him.  
  
Jongin sighs in content when they both lay down, their bodies close. Kyungsoo can’t help the shit eating grin that crosses his face when Jongin puts an arm around his waist, hauling him closer. He looks at Jongin to see that same pale peach color from before swimming in his irises. His expression reminds him of a hesitant puppy, afraid to do the wrong thing and spook Kyungsoo. The Lead Commander just watches closely as Jongin reaches out timidly towards Kyungsoo’s face. The human just stays still, closing his eyes when he feels the Daknae’s fingers softly trace down the ridge of his nose. He can’t help the butterflies fluttering like mad in his stomach when he feels the other’s soft touch around his lips as well, his thumb brushing over his bottom lip a few times before moving down to his jaw.  
  
Jongin is quiet as he maps out Kyungsoo’s face with his hands and Kyungsoo is trying really hard not to moan because he thinks this might be the most relaxed he’s ever been in his entire life. He feels sleep threatening to overtake him so he cuddles a bit closer to the Daknae. When the other suddenly stops, Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open to see Jongin giving him one of the most beautiful smiles he’s ever seen him wear. Kyungsoo just smiles back and takes Jongin’s palm in his own. He’s not entirely sure how Daknae’s comfort each other, if there is a specific way they show affection or sympathy when the other is in distress. Humans tend to like physical contact like hugging or a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. It seems that Daknae’s are the same way because Jongin’s smile brightens tenfold and his eyes are a mix of light shades of orange and soft pinks. Then again, the more Kyungsoo thinks about it, Jongin is probably not your typical Daknae. He obviously hasn’t spent his entire life with his people, so maybe all of these habits and responses are just Jongin being Jongin.  
  
They lay there in each other’s arms for just a bit before Kyungsoo remembers something. “Oh Jongin, I forgot to tell you but I have some of your stuff you left behind on HR-2245.”  
  
Jongin blinks. “You mean my bag? I thought I’d never see that thing again.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods and detaches himself from Jongin’s side to go to his shelf. He kneels down and takes out a small box holding Jongin’s messenger bag. He brings it over and sets it in front of him. Jongin sits up, the blanket pooling around his torso, and Kyungsoo sits across from him.  
  
The Lead Commander never really went through the other’s belongings since they left to go get Jongin on Kara so he’s a bit curious about the rest of the contents he hasn’t seen yet. Jongin’s face lights up when he pulls out a few of the postcards he saw before.  
  
Jongin handed him one. “A friend of mine gave these to me. He said he used to collect them when he was younger. Now he really has no use for them anymore so he gave them to me.”  
  
Kyungsoo looks in awe at the old photo on the card, the caption saying ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’. “These are basically ancient Jongin. How old was your friend?”  
  
Jongin contemplates for a second. “Not exactly sure. He never said.”  
  
Kyungsoo hums and looks at the other photos, feeling giddy at the sight of the artifacts in his hands. Jongin reaches into his bag again and pulls out his leather shoes, putting them aside before bringing out what seemed to be an old-fashioned music player. Kyungsoo almost squealed.  
  
“I haven’t seen one of these in ages!”  
  
Jongin laughed. “You know what it is?”  
  
Kyungsoo takes it. “It plays music. I wonder what kind of songs are even on here.” When he tries to turn it on, the screen flashes ‘Low Battery’. The human makes a disgruntled face. “I’ll have to find a way to charge it so we can listen to it.”  
  
Jongin looks at him curiously. “So it has human songs on it?”  
  
“Probably. They’re most likely way out dated but it would be cool to hear them anyway. I love older music. I used to play it whenever my friends and I would hang out when I was younger.”  
  
“Do you sing too?”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. Singing is not really that rare of a thing in other various cultures outside of the human race, but good singing apparently is. To most of the species in the galaxy, humans have some of the most wonderful and hypnotic singing voices around. Kyungsoo’s been told multiple times how great of a singer he is when in reality, he’s average at most back home on earth. “I do. I’ll have to find a song and sing for you one day.”  
  
Jongin bites his lip, quietly says “I’d like that a lot.”  
  
There is a brief silence as the Daknae digs around in his bag, grabbing what looked to be some sort of wooden trinket. It had soft leather wrapped in a circle and had small pieces of wood criss crossing in the middle. A few beads and feathers hung from the bottom as well, colors bright and eye catching. Kyungsoo feels his throat go dry. “Is that?...”  
  
Jongin smiles. “A dream catcher? Yes. It is.”  
  
Kyungsoo gasps and stares at it intently. “Can I hold it?” he asks breathlessly.  
  
Jongin chuckles and hands it over. Kyungsoo held the dream catcher in his hands as if it was made of thin porcelain. Never in his life has he held one of these. He’s heard about them in his ancient history classes and seen a few pictures, but he’s never actually been able to touch one. He knows he probably looks stupid right now, holding a wooden trinket as if it was the most precious thing in the universe.  
  
“How did you even manage to get your hands on one of these? And in such great condition too!”  
  
“I may have stolen it a long time ago. The guy who had it before me had it hand crafted.” Kyungsoo stopped staring at the object in his hands to look at Jongin. The only possible way to have one of these handmade is if you traveled back to the past to get it done. These things haven’t been made for over two hundred years. Jongin seems to notice the atmosphere shift a bit and licks his lips, staring hard at his shoes beside him.  
  
Kyungsoo clears his throat and puts the dream catcher back in Jongin’s bag. He peeks in and sees a few miscellaneous notebooks and contraptions taking up most of the space. “You must have spent a lot of time on Earth to collect all these.”  
  
Jongin nods slightly. “I was on Earth for a few months before hitching a ride to one of Saturn’s moons and stayed there until, well.” He gestured to the ship around them. “I was kind of a pack rat and kept everything I considered unique.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “I’ll have to show you my home back on Earth someday. I’m sure you would like all of the stuff in my dad’s collection of artifacts. It’s what made me want to join this sector of the Intergalactic Peace Corps in the first place.”  
  
Jongin’s expression turns soft, his eyes glowing a pale peach again. “You really like history don’t you?”  
  
Kyungsoo nodded frantically. “It’s my passion. That and culture. I came to the Intergalactic Peace Corps because I knew they would allow me to learn about other races’ cultures. It can be such a beautiful thing sometimes, the way others dress or act. Or even just the way they lived their lives and what they may have based their reason for living on. It’s just so amazing to me.” Kyungsoo looked to Jongin and saw a small smirk on his face. “I’m sorry. I’m nerding out on you.”  
  
Jongin chuckles. “No, it’s fine. I think it’s cute.”  
  
Kyungsoo nearly dies inside because  _holy shit Jongin just called him cute_. He tries to control the shy smile that crosses his features, but fails. Jongin smiles as well, watching as Kyungsoo sifts through his bag. He freezes though, as soon as the Lead Commander holds up a familiar necklace. Kyungsoo looks at Jongin hesitantly, the jewelry glowing in his hand, pulsing just as it did the first time he had laid eyes on it. He doesn’t say anything, worried Jongin may freak out or shut down completely. Much to his surprise, though, all the Daknae does is sigh at Kyungsoo’s curiosity and scratch the nape of his neck. “I guess I at least owe you some answers don’t I?”  
  
Kyungsoo squeezes his hand and smiles up at him. “How about we have this conversation off the books? Just between-” Kyungsoo licks his lips, “-friends.” Kyungsoo doesn't know why labeling their relationship as ‘friends’ doesn't sit right with him, but that’s the most casual thing he could think of at the moment.  
  
Jongin blinks, seeming to not exactly know where to start. Kyungsoo tilts his head. “Tell me about you, Jongin. For now, I just want to know about you. Nothing else.”  
  
Jongin looks taken aback and is temporarily rendered speechless. Kyungsoo just continues to smile. “How about I start instead then?” When Jongin didn’t say anything, the Lead Commander just continued. “I was born twenty-seven earth-years ago in a country called Korea. I’m not sure if you know this, but on my planet, the lands are under different ownership and humans of different ethnic backgrounds and cultures share borders instead of just merging into one.” Kyungsoo hopes this isn't too confusing of a concept. He had tried to explain this to his co-workers once but they just couldn’t understand why humans lived apart and fought amongst themselves despite being of the same race.  
  
Jongin looks at him thoughtfully. “I guess that makes sense considering the number of humans there are in the galaxy. Your population could pretty much overpower anyone so your strength is definitely in your numbers. From what I’ve seen, your cultures are very different from each other as well so it’s understandable that there would be borders to prevent clashes.”  
  
Kyungsoo just grins and continues. “I grew up in a large area called Seoul but I never really had the chance to go and explore the city. My father always forced me to keep my studies as my first priority and as soon as I was of age, I was shipped off to boarding school on the space station near Jupiter.” Kyungsoo looks at the ceiling and focuses on the warmth of Jongin’s hand.  
  
‘ _It feels really nice_ ’, Kyungsoo thinks.  
  
“From then on I was pretty much groomed to be in the position I’m in right now. Originally, I was supposed to be a Military Commander but I declined and went to this sector instead.” It’s great. Kyungsoo learned to love his job and even though he still resents his father for ruling over what should have been his own life decisions, he is still happy where he is.  
  
Jongin is oddly quiet next to him and when Kyungsoo looks over, he sees a dull silver edging its way into Jongin’s eyes. ”So you never got to choose what you wanted to do with your life? It was chosen for you?”  
  
Kyungsoo nodded and gave an amused half smile. “From the day my father found out he was having a son, my life’s path was already laid out. I probably could have said no- rebelled and whatnot, but I didn’t really have huge dreams or aspirations that I wanted to chase after, so I went with it.”  
  
Jongin stays silent and stretches out his hand for the necklace. Kyungsoo gives it to him and watches him stare at the triangle shaped pendant. Quietly, he says “It’s efficient. Choosing the path of a child when they are born. My people have done it for centuries. Everyone is born to carry out a specific duty.”  
  
When Jongin doesn't elaborate anymore Kyungsoo looks at him softly and quietly asks “And what duty were you born to carry out, Jongin?”  
  
Jongin doesn’t answer and instead takes his gaze away from the pendent to look out the window at the planet they are currently passing by.  
  
Kyungsoo decides that at least Jongin is talking to him so he decides to just let the subject go. He makes a joke in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. “Well,” he starts, “you could always go out and find a nice girl of a similar race and repopulate.”  
  
Jongin seems to contemplate this a lot before looking at Kyungsoo seriously. “Sometimes, I forget your race is limited to two selected genders with social stereotypes.”  
  
“And yours isn’t?”  
  
Jongin once again does not answer but stares intensely at the human’s lips. He hums but Kyungsoo can’t really tell if that’s a yes or no. Maybe more of an acknowledgement? He’s not quite sure. Kyungsoo can feel his face getting hot from the latter’s hooded gaze and decides to busy himself by putting everything back in the bag. Jongin just watches from his spot on the bed, handing him the few items he had next to him. When Kyungsoo’s done, he gets up and puts Jongin’s bag back into the box he had originally kept it in. When he returns to the bed he finds Jongin already under the blanket, lifting it so Kyungsoo could get in too. Kyungsoo gulps at the serious look on the Daknae’s face and gets back in bed.  
  
When Jongin pulls him close this time, Kyungsoo feels a bit off. His stomach is warm and he feels his toes curl as Jongin’s leg wraps around his thigh. He nearly stops breathing when he practically feels the outline of Jongin’s cock pressing against his hip. It’s limp and not hard at all, but Kyungsoo definitely has to repeatedly tell himself to breathe through his nose when he begins to imagine what it would be like erect. He gulps when he imagines holding it, thick and heavy in his hands. He can already feel his own dick twitching at the thought and he prays to whatever gods that are out there that Jongin doesn’t notice.  
  
Where are these thoughts even coming from anyway?  
  
Kyungsoo chances taking a look at Jongin and immediately regrets it. He blushes to the roots of his hair when he sees the other’s eyes glowing a deep peach, the color sparking underneath skin around his eyes as well. His gaze is intense as he watches Kyungsoo’s movements. The human can tell the other  _knows_ , especially when his nostrils flare and his eyes flash with color.  
  
Jongin wastes no time dragging Kyungsoo on top of him so the Lead Commander is laying flush against the front of his body, Kyungsoo’s face falling into the crook of the Daknae’s neck. His hands wander from the top of Kyungsoo’s shoulder blades and slowly down to his hips. Kyungsoo gasps as Jongin’s hands eventually land on his ass, a flash of arousal shooting through him. He lifts his head and gives the Daknae a flustered look. “J-Jongin?”  
  
Jongin only gives a deep, inhuman noise from the back of his throat in return. Not really a growl, but more of a satisfied groan as he digs his nose into Kyungsoo’s neck, nipping there lightly. Kyungsoo swallows thickly and tries to hold back the moan making it’s way past his lips as Jongin gives a particularly hard squeeze to his ass and drags his sharp teeth across Kyungsoo’s skin.  
  
Jongin stops his biting and drags his nose up the column of Kyungsoo’s neck, taking a deep breath as he does so. He moans lightly in Kyungsoo’s ear. “You smell delicious, Kyungsoo.”  
  
Kyungsoo grits his teeth, unbelievably turned on by this whole situation. He nearly moans when Jongin pushes him against his hardening cock. Kyungsoo jerks when Jongin begins to grind, the Lead Commander panting lightly when his own erection comes in contact with the Daknae’s through their clothes.  
  
He should probably push the other away, or possibly run away screaming, but oddly enough he really wants this, to be with Jongin like this. Kyungsoo quickly sits up and properly rests his thighs on either side of Jongin’s hips, putting a hand on the other’s chest to steady himself. He slowly rocks back and forth, sighing in pleasure as their cocks come in contact with each other again and again. Jongin sits up too, pulling Kyungsoo against his chest again. His hands land on Kyungsoo’s hips and he pushes them towards his own body in time with Kyungsoo’s thrusts.  
  
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo says breathlessly. Jongin looks at him with glazed eyes. He leans forward and nips at Kyungsoo’s bottom lip, slipping his tongue in when Kyungsoo gasps. The Lead Commander can tell that this kiss is different from the ones the two of them have shared in the past. This time there is raw emotion behind it, one that makes Kyungsoo’s heart leap in joy and butterflies flutter in his stomach. Kyungsoo buries his hands in Jongin’s hair and lets his tongue slide easily against the other’s. Jongin gives another inhuman groan and moves Kyungsoo’s hips at a quicker pace, his grip getting tighter the longer they move against each other. Kyungsoo breaks the kiss and leans his head against Jongin’s shoulder, breathing heavily.  
  
He can feel his boxers already soaked with precome and he hopes Jongin’s in the same situation because he’s not going to last much longer if this continues, and it’d be embarrassing if he was the only one that finished so quickly. He tries to slow down his movements so he can regain his bearings but Jongin is having none of it. He flips them over quickly and settles between Kyungsoo’s legs. Jongin ruts roughly against him, his arms on either side of Kyungsoo’s head flexing every time he thrust forward. Kyungsoo bites his lip and tries not to cry out at the quick pace Jongin sets.  
  
The Daknae lays his body against Kyungsoo’s when the human reaches out for him, Jongin craning his head to the right to kiss Kyungsoo deeply. They both move rhythmically, the only sounds filling the room being their heavy pants and the messy kisses they exchange. When Kyungsoo’s soft moans steadily get louder, Jongin begins kissing around his earlobe. “Kyungsoo,” he says in his ear, a few curses following soon after.  
  
Suddenly, Kyungsoo’s body stiffened underneath Jongin’s touch as the other gave one final, hard thrust that had the human seeing stars. “Fuck!” Kyungsoo grits his teeth harshly as he feels the pressure in his gut finally release, warm come spilling into his boxers. Jongin’s rutting becomes a bit more frantic as he breathes deeply, his eyes flashing again as he looks down at Kyungsoo’s blissed out face.  
  
Kyungsoo whimpers from the oversensitivity and boldly reaches between their bodies to run his palm against Jongin’s pants. Jongin stills and moans, eyes fluttering closed at the feeling. Kyungsoo kneads his palm against the other’s cock, feeling slightly bad at how confining clothes must be against it, even if they’re baggy. Jongin leans down and leaves a few love bites around his collarbones, rutting against Kyungsoo’s eager hand. When Kyungsoo’s fingers wrap around it the best they can through all the material, he feels the other’s thick cock twitch. Jongin’s hips stutter a bit, releasing a deep, low groan afterwards.  
  
Kyungsoo continues to gently move his hand against Jongin’s dick, his thumb finding the tip and adding a bit of pressure there. Jongin gasps lightly and snaps his eyes open, staring down at Kyungsoo once again. He leans in close and rubs his nose lightly against the human’s cheek, letting out a sound Kyungsoo could only describe as a resonating purr. Kyungsoo sees the latter’s body spasm slightly, feeling a bit of the wetness from the other’s come through his thin shorts. He’s pretty sure Jongin’s not wearing any underwear.  
  
Kyungsoo takes his hand away from Jongin and wipes the little bit of stickiness on his fingers on his shirt. Jongin stays frozen in the same position just breathing deeply. Kyungsoo threads his fingers through the Daknae’s hair and scratches delicately, feeling Jongin’s body slowly relax. Jongin pulls away from his neck and peppers kisses across Kyungsoo’s jaw line until he reaches his lips. Their kisses are chaste this time, both of them smiling as their lips meet.  
  
Jongin leans back and just stares at Kyungsoo, drinking in his appearance. Kyungsoo reaches out and strokes his face. “Let’s sleep,” he says quietly. He pats the spot next to him to tell Jongin to lay down and Jongin obeys, wrapping his arm loosely around Kyungsoo’s waist. Kyungsoo smiles to himself as Jongin leans in to leave small kisses on the nape of his neck.  
  
Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure what to say, feeling a bit awkward now that the heat of the moment is over. The reality of what they did begins to come crashing down on him as he feels his stomach twisting. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy it, but he’s worried about how this will affect their relationship now. Obviously Jongin didn’t have any objections about it or else he wouldn’t have initiated anything in the first place. Then again, Kyungsoo’s pretty sure he may have been drunk on the human’s pheromones. Kyungsoo wasn’t even aware Jongin had that great of a sense of smell. His cheeks begin to heat up when he thinks about it because this is all his fault. What if he ruined whatever it is they have together?  
  
Jongin seems to sense his anxieties and moves in a little closer so now his chest is flushed against Kyungsoo’s back, his thumb stroking lightly over his forearm. “This is okay, Kyungsoo. We’re okay.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart feels like it expands at the Daknae’s words. His toes curl as he gives a sigh. They’re okay. They’re going to be okay. Soon enough he hears the light snores of Jongin beside him. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, still has his mind racing with thoughts of ‘What will happen now?’ or ‘Was this a mistake or does it mean something?’  
  
He figures he should probably stop worrying about it for now. Come morning, he’ll deal with it. For now though, he really needs to get some sleep. They’re arriving at the Intergalactic Peace Corps base late at night so Kyungsoo will be on his feet all day to prepare the ship for landing. His eyes flutter close as he focuses on the radiating warmth coming from Jongin.  
  
He dreams of large grey walls and a never ending pathway filled with cloaked figures.  
  
  


~

  
  
  
Kyungsoo briefly registers the smell of eggs and bacon seeping into the air, his mouth already watering before he even opens his eyes. He sits up and rubs the sleep from his eyes, yawning afterwards. He looks to his side to see no sign of Jongin. When he listens closely though, he can hear the dull buzzing of the shower in the background.  
  
He sniffs the air and gets up, following his nose until he spots a huge plate of food resting on his desk. There’s sliced potatoes and biscuits taking up most of the edge of the plate, the bacon and eggs in the middle. Kyungsoo bites his lip to keep from smiling too hard. Jongin must have gone out on his own to get him all this.  
  
He wastes no time digging in, glancing at his wrist monitor to see he’s already running late. He scarfs down the food until he feels like he’s going to burst. While he’s rushing to get a clean pair of underwear and a new uniform, he thinks he should probably leave some sort of note to thank Jongin for the food, but the Daknae comes out of the bathroom the moment Kyungsoo puts on his cap and badges. His silver hair is all over the place from toweling it dry and he’s wearing nothing but a towel hanging loosely around his hips.  
  
Jongin gets a bright smile on his face, eyes swimming with oranges and pinks. “Hey.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles back, trying not to look down at the other’s bare chest. “Hey.”  
  
There is a bit of an awkward silence, but Jongin doesn’t seem to mind. He seems more amused by it than anything, his lips quirking up at the edges. “Did you eat?”  
  
Kyungsoo swallows thickly. “Y-Yeah I did. Thank you for getting me all that. I was pretty hungry when I woke up.”  
  
Jongin nods. “No problem.” He stares at Kyungsoo with a strange gaze. Kyungsoo doesn’t exactly want to call it ‘loving’ but it’s pretty much borderline adoration.  
  
Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Right, well I’m late so I’ll see you later for lunch?”  
  
“Of course.” Jongin walks close to him and reaches out to straighten one of the badges. Their faces are close and Jongin gives him a dazzling smile. “See you later then.”  
  
Kyungsoo can barely breathe from the proximity of the other male but also the fact that the Daknae is  _still not wearing anything_. A light pink is dusted across Kyungsoo’s cheeks and he tries not to show just how flustered he really is. “Yeah. S-See you.”  
  
Jongin chuckles a bit and pushes him gently towards the door. It swooshes open when Jongin presses the necessary buttons, but to their surprise it reveals Minseok standing on the other side. He has his hand raised in the air as if he was about to knock, but freezes at the sight that welcomes him. He blinks as he looks from Jongin to Kyungsoo, suspicion growing in his eyes.  
  
“Hello Jongin.”  
  
Jongin gives a nod, smirking slightly. “Lieutenant.”  
  
Minseok makes a face and then narrows his eyes at Kyungsoo, taking in the sight of his Lead Commander blushing like a schoolgirl. Kyungsoo mentally screams, wishing a black hole would just swallow him up and put him out of his misery. Minseok puts his hands on his hip. “You’re late.”  
  
Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Shall we go then?”  
  
Minseok steps out of the doorway and allows Kyungsoo to pass. He sees Jongin give the Lead Commander a wink before the doors slide closed. Kyungsoo sputters, but regains his composure soon after. It’s quiet as they walk between the halls of the ship, but Kyungsoo can just feel Minseok’s burning curiosity.  
  
When they enter the elevator that will bring them to the flight deck, Minseok twirls around to glare at him. He’s about to open his mouth when Kyungsoo puts his hand up.  
  
“Don’t even ask.”  
  
Minseok closes his mouth and makes a disgruntled face. “Best Friends Forever, my ass,” he mumbles. Kyungsoo sighs. This is going to be a long day.  
  
  


~

  
  
  
Kyungsoo practically spends all day on his feet, frantically calling his superiors and dealing with security searches as they get closer to the Intergalactic Peace Corps’ base. There are multiple stations his ship must stop at before gaining access to the main base inside the Psi Zeconis System where his main research facility is located. Usually he would be extremely irritable at all of these security precautions, but he can’t really blame the Intergalactic Peace Corps for regulating them. Not with the ongoing rebellion occurring just a few stars away. By the end of the day, though, the SS-Pytheas is cleared and ready to return home.  
  
Kyungsoo wanted to bring Jongin with him to flight deck so he could see the Intergalactic Peace Corps from afar, but there was no way for the Daknae to enter without some sort of badge or clearance. Instead, he told him to pay careful attention from their shared room. The window there may face towards the East side of the ship, but even then he knows Jongin will be able to see the amazing structures revolving around the sun in the center.  
  
The Psi Zeconis System is completely owned by the Intergalactic Peace Corps and within the last hundred years, it’s been turned into what everyone likes to call a ‘ringworld’. The entire system is made of up thirteen planets, all varying in size. There are quite a few moons as well but the number of space stations orbiting these planets outnumber them tenfold. The most amazing thing, though, is that on the farthest end of the system is a ring of panels that emcompasses all areas of the system. They not only serve as a force field from unwanted visitors, but also as an energy source for the entire Psi Zeconis System.  
  
It’s quite a fantastic sight. Kyungsoo still gets awestruck by the sight of it, he can’t even begin to imagine Jongin’s reaction. He’s probably never seen something on this scale.  
  
Minseok leans forward from his spot behind Kyungsoo’s chair. “Looks like nothing blew up while we were gone.” Kyungsoo shoots the Lieutenant a glare and Minseok just shrugs. “What? You really don’t think at least some of the rebellion members are hiding out as refugees?”  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I would be ignorant if I  _didn’t_  think that, but let’s not talk politics. We still have to prepare for boarding.” Minseok tuts his tongue at the Lead Commander’s answer, not saying anything more after that.  
  
The Intergalactic Peace Corps homes all of those that have lost their homes to war. Each of the thirteen planets house various species that have experienced life threatening situations involved in the rebellion. The Intergalactic Peace Corps provides them with anything they would need and complete protection at no sort of cost. There may have been incidents in the past where rebellion members have snuck in and wreaked havoc, but they were subdued rather quickly. It’s one of the reasons why there are so many security checks just to enter the damn place.  
  
“Guide her slowly,” Kyungsoo says to his navigator. They are coming up on their station and are entering an area that seems to be a much tighter fit for the massive ship. The navigator sticks out his tongue in concentration as he tilts the joystick this way and that, weaving through the other stations or various debris in the way. Kyungsoo gets up to press a few buttons on the center console and pulls the lever at the side downwards. The ship comes to a slow creep, barely moving as the loading deck to the space station opens for them to land.  
  
Kyungsoo takes control of the ship and maneuvers it until they safely clear the hangar. The SS-Pytheas hovers until the Lead Commanders gives the necessary commands to activate the landing gear. The ship gives a great shake when it lands successfully, Kyungsoo’s crew whooping in happiness to finally be home.  
  
Minseok pats him on the back. “Good work Lead Commander.”  
  
Kyungsoo grins at him and looks to the rest of the crew standing around the flight deck. “All of you go and get some rest. You did great. I’ll call you all back when we decide to depart again. You’re all dismissed.” Everyone gave a small salute before packing into the elevator to leave, their conversations loud and expressions happy. Kyungsoo feels giddy at the sight.  
  
Minseok stretches his arms above his head and lets out a yawn. “Well I’m definitely hitting the sauna room as soon as I get off this ship. Want to join me? You can bring your boy toy with you.”  
  
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Remind him again why he even taught Minseok Earth slang? “I have to meet with the higher ups as soon as I get off the ship so I can’t.” He gives a small glare, pointing a finger at Minseok’s face. “And he’s not my boy toy.”  
  
“Then enlighten me Lead Commander. What exactly is Kim Jongin to you?”  
  
Kyungsoo’s glad the Lieutenant is speaking quietly enough that the others around them can’t hear. He’d probably die of embarrassment if they did. Kyungsoo crossed his arms. “A friend.”  
  
Minseok narrows his eyes at him. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure I saw your face as red as a- damn what is that human vegetable called?”  
  
“A tomato?”  
  
“Yes! You were as red as a tomato. Explain that because you never get that way with me. Unless you’ve been lying to me all this time and we were never friends to begin with?”  
  
Kyungsoo purses his lips in thought. “Uhm,” Minseok stares hard at him. “No offense, but a tomato is a fruit.”  
  
Minseok blinks. “What?”  
  
“You said it was a vegetable earlier. It’s not. It’s a fruit.”  
  
Minseok facepalms and makes a noise of frustration. “ _Forget the damn tomato!_  What happened between you and Jongin? And don’t tell me nothing because you were both acting weird this morning.”  
  
Kyungsoo laughs nervously. “Nothing much. He’s just being nicer to me, that’s all.” If humping him to death can be thought of as being nicer. Kyungsoo looks at his wrist monitor. “Oh look at the time! Got to go get Jongin!” He sprints to the elevator that’s on the verge of closing. He twists his body so he makes it just in the nick of time. The last thing he sees before the doors slide shut completely is a pissed off Minseok trying to chase after him. He breathes a sigh of relief once the elevator starts moving, a few of his crew members staring at him weirdly because of it.  
  
As soon as the doors open again, Kyungsoo speedwalks towards the sleeping cabins, pleasantly surprised to see Jongin standing timidly outside the door of their room. The Daknae is wearing some civilian clothes another crew mate had lended him since none of Kyungsoo’s clothes seemed to fit him. The material was form fitting, showing off Jongin’s lithe figure and muscular biceps. It was black and bright red with foreign writing on it. Kyungsoo just hopes whatever it says is appropriate because they're about to go in front of his superiors for questioning. The last thing he needs is one of them getting offended because of a damn shirt.  
  
Jongin’s face brightens as soon as he spots Kyungsoo. “Hey.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “Hey. Did you watch out the window like I told you too?”  
  
Jongin nodded, his eyes a soft orange. “It was amazing. I didn’t know a place like this even existed. What were those contraptions at the edges of the system?”  
  
Kyungsoo chuckles. “They have quite a few jobs. I’ll tell you all about them later. Right now, we need to get going. My superiors are expecting us.”  
  
Jongin blinked. “Us?”  
  
The Lead Commander sighed. “They wanted to meet you. I tried to tell them that they should give you a few days to adjust to your new environment but I guess they didn’t feel that was necessary. I promise I’m going to be right by your side the whole time. Just let me do all of the talking and we’ll be out of there in no time.”  
  
Jongin nods slowly, a dark amethyst color sweeping into his irises. “Why do they want me there?”  
  
“Well, I guess they’re curious about you. Most of the people on this research base are anxious to meet you so they probably are too. You’re the first living being we’ve ever had to help us with a case.”  
  
Jongin makes a face, piercing blue swirling with the amethyst in his eyes. “I never said I would help with the case.”  
  
Kyungsoo shrugs. “They don’t know that. And they don’t need to know that. Trust me, I’ll handle it. Will you be okay going in front of them? They’re pretty intimidating at first…”  
  
Jongin chuckles. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just stand there and look pretty. No worries.”  
  
Kyungsoo snorts. “Well then let’s go Pretty Boy, or else we’ll be late.” Jongin chuckles and agrees, following beside him quietly. Kyungsoo adjusts his cap as they walk into the ship hangar, both of them maneuvering around the busy area until they enter the quiet hallways of the research facility. Since most people are either off doing work or getting settled back into their home, the halls are practically empty.  
  
The halls themselves aren’t too different compared to the ones on the SS-Pytheas, a blank white color with indentations in several areas from how sheets of metal fit together. The main difference, though, is that there are the windows stretching almost the entire length of the halls that give a breathtaking view of the planets and stars in the distance. When the station rotates, the windows show the bright colors of the planet it is currently orbiting as well.  
  
Jongin seems to be captivated by it all, giving a small gasp when he first looks out the window. Kyungsoo just smiles fondly and puts his hand on the small of his back, guiding him toward their destination all the way on the other side of the space station.  
  
  


~

  
  
  
“And when was the last time he saw his people?”  
  
Kyungsoo grits his teeth, feeling his chest tighten in anger. “Sir, I don’t mean to be rude but we are just talking about Jongin, not the rest of his people.”  
  
It’s been like this for the last twenty minutes, one question after another fired at Jongin. As soon as they walked into the meeting room, Jongin was bombarded with attention from his superiors. They didn’t even bother to introduce themselves to him, Kyungsoo interrupting them mid-question to do it himself. Jongin was stone faced, but Kyungsoo knew by his glacier blue eyes that he was more than unhappy at the others’ prying questions.  
  
The Lead Commander did his best to deflect the questions, choosing to tell his superiors a little about Jongin himself but they just seemed to ignore Kyungsoo outright. Jongin was stiff in his seat next to him, a faint growl rising in his throat. The higher ranking officers payed no mind to it.  
  
It’s when Kyungsoo’s main boss, Seokjin, a fellow human like himself, blatantly asks if Jongin happened to kill his own people, does the Lead Commander put his foot down. Kyungsoo stands from his chair and slams his hand on the table, a few of the holograms of those that couldn’t be there flickering as he does so. “Enough!” he says sternly.  
  
A few of his superiors give him incredulous looks, some of the other’s glaring at the disrespectful outburst but keeping silent anyway. One of them didn’t even blink an eye, about to open their mouth to speak again but Kyungsoo beats them to the punch.  
  
“If you don’t have any questions about Jongin himself and are instead just trying to satisfy your own curiosity then this meeting is over. You’re not running this case, I am. It’s none of your business knowing anything unless it’s written in a report.”  
  
Everyone stares at him now with wary expressions. It’s true. Technically, Kyungsoo’s superiors just oversee the cases people like Kyungsoo are in charge of, not work it. None of this is even in their jurisdiction. “Last time I checked, my report was sent to every single one of you saying that the reason behind the disappearance of the Daknae people is still unknown and may unfortunately stay that way unless there is circumstantial evidence found.” Kyungsoo looked to Seokjin. “Unless you haven’t received my report yet, in which case I understand and forgive your negligence on the matter. I will send it to you as soon as possible.”  
  
Seokjin cleared her throat awkwardly. “There’s no need. I’ve already read it.”  
  
Kyungsoo tilts his head. “Then why exactly are you asking such accusing questions to our special guest, possibly the last remaining Daknae in existence, so freely without any sort of thought?”  
  
Everyone looked taken aback by Kyungsoo’s anger and even Seokjin just gapes at him openly. The Lead Commander has never really been one to stand up to his superiors but God damn it they are being so unreasonable. Jongin moves for the first time since they sat down to give him an impressed look, not saying anything but staring at his side profile a bit before turning back to the others.  
  
One of the men in the hologram, General Tzastr from the planet Seshelara, shifts a bit before speaking up. “Lead Commander Do, we’ll have a talk about your attitude when addressing those of a higher rank later. For now, you and the Daknae are dismissed. This meeting was pointless to begin with.”  
  
Everyone gives him glares besides Kyungsoo and Jongin, all arguing amongst themselves. Kyungsoo stands and gives a salute to them all before dragging Jongin by the arm out the door, shouts of protest coming from the officers behind him. When the door slides shut and they are a far enough distance away from the meeting room, Kyungsoo fumes, punching the nearby wall in anger. Jongin just watches him, only reaching out to calm him down when he almost puts a dent in the glass of the window.  
  
The Daknae grabs his fists gently. “Whoa there, let’s not break the window and kill everyone on board shall we?”  
  
Normally, Kyungsoo would probably laugh at that because there’s no way a weak little human like him could break one of those windows. They’re pretty much indestructable. Instead, though, he just seethes and pulls his arms from Jongin’s grip, turning around and stomping in anger. “How can they just treat you like some criminal?! You didn’t even do anything! I mean yeah, you kind of blew up the only lead this case even had but that’s beside the point! They treated you like you were dirt! Like you’re not even a real person and just some lowly animal without any sort of feelings and-”  
  
Kyungsoo felt strong arms wrap around his middle from behind, making him stop mid-sentence. Jongin sighs somewhere behind him, squeezing tightly for a few moments before relaxing his grip. “Thank you Kyungsoo. For standing up for me.”  
  
Kyungsoo clears his throat, anger forgotten for the moment as the Lead Commander focuses on the body heat flush against his back. “Of course Jongin. I’m not going to let anyone treat you badly. You’re a living being too.”  
  
Jongin responds with a deep noise in the back of his throat, something not entirely human. Well he isn’t human, but still. Kyungsoo cranes his neck to get a look at the Daknae behind him, but unconsciously bares his throat at the same time. Jongin shoves his face into the crook of his neck, breathing in there. Kyungsoo feels he can’t breathe with how close Jongin is to him at the moment. He gulps when he gets brief flashbacks of the night before and feels his gut fill with warmth.  
  
Jongin makes another noise as Kyungsoo adjusts his stance so his knees aren’t clanking together. Jongin retracts his arms from hugging around Kyungsoo’s middle until only his hands are resting on his waist instead. Kyungsoo inhales sharply when he feels one of the Daknae’s hands slide down to rest on his hip and then  _lower_. Kyungsoo lets out a desperate sound when Jongin palms him through the thick trousers of his uniform.  
  
The Lead Commander leans his head to rest back on Jongin’s chest, giving deep sighs through his nose. Jongin still has his face hidden in his neck, kissing there lightly. The Daknae’s hand starts to get more aggressive, pressing harder and faster. Kyungsoo withers from the touch.  
  
“Jongin,” he says breathlessly. Jongin gives a small nip at that. Kyungsoo’s about to pull Jongin away from his neck to kiss him when he hears an awkward cough from behind them.  
  
Kyungsoo detaches himself from Jongin as if he was burned, but Jongin just stands there. He makes an irritated noise, glaring at whoever had sneaked up behind them. Kyungsoo, however, thanks his blessings that it’s not one of his superiors, but at the same time he curses his luck because out of everyone to catch them, it’s Oh Sehun.  
  
The worst busybody on Kyungsoo’s entire team.  
  
Great. Just great.  
  
Sehun gives them a creepy smile. “Hello Lead Commander. You’re looking a bit frazzled. Is there something wrong?”  
  
Kyungsoo sputters and adjusts his cap that had gotten slightly skewed from when he leaned back on Jongin’s chest. He pulls at his uniform jacket and coughs. “Everything’s fine here, Sehun.”  
  
Sehun just grins wider. “Oh, I’m sure everything's just  _peachy_  here. In fact, I think Lieutenant Kim would love to know just how peachy everything is here.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes darken. “If you tell him I swear I will stick you on cleaning duty next time we leave this facility. Don’t test me.”  
  
Sehun snorts. “Whatever Kyungsoo.” This brat- “I’m going to go find the bathroom. I’ve been looking for the bathroom in this damn place for the past fifteen minutes. I’m bound to find it at one point.”  
  
Kyungsoo sighs and rubs his temples, watching the latter continue walking away from them. Sehun has always been bad at addressing him formally like protocol states, but Kyungsoo learned not to care. He actually prefers it that way but most of the other members of his team don’t seem to feel the same way. Besides, Oh Sehun has become a good friend of Minseok and his, even if the boy tends to be like a gossiping teenager.  
  
Kyungsoo chances looking at Jongin only to see him giving the Lead Commander a hooded stare. Jongin’s eyes are overtaken with a pale peach, the color spreading into the skin around his eyes. Electric streaks of the pale peach spark vividly under Jongin’s caramel skin. It’s absolutely mesmerizing to the human.  
  
Kyungsoo gulps when he remembers his little problem  _down there_  and moves the small holopad in his hands in front of his crotch, hoping Jongin wouldn’t notice the tent that had started to grown in his pants. Jongin just gives him a sleazy grin and chuckles at Kyungsoo’s attempt to be modest. The Lead Commander blushes a deep red and stares hard at the floor.  
  
It’s silent for a bit and Kyungsoo fidgets under Jongin’s heavy gaze. He licks his lips nervously. “I’m- uh. I need to….go. My room- Er our room- is 801. So yeah. I’ll be back late.”  
  
Jongin hums. “I’ll wait for you then.”  
  
Kyungsoo shivers at the thought. “R-Right. Uhm. Bye.” His boots are loud as he fast walks in the opposite direction of the Daknae. He can barely even breathe right now and when he glances back he almost loses his footing when he sees Jongin just watching him walk away. Kyungsoo shakes his head, putting his cold hands to his face in an attempt to cool down his cheeks. He has no idea what’s wrong with him but all he knows for sure is this crush on Jongin is definitely getting worse. Especially with how touchy they’re both being now. Kyungsoo has to admit that he loves when Jongin so much as lays a finger on him. It makes him feels so content and complete, he can’t even begin to explain it.  
  
Despite the fact that they had only known each other for a good three or four weeks, Kyungsoo feels his heart beat uncontrollably when Jongin so much as spares him a glance. He’s not going to lie, he’s definitely thought about being intimate with Jongin before. These thoughts may have only occurred within the last few days, but Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how Jongin feels about it. The Lead Commander thinks it’s pretty safe to assume Jongin feels the same or else he would probably not make so many advances even if he’s high on Kyungsoo’s pheromones. He  _did_  just grope Kyungsoo in a public hallway after all. If that doesn’t hint at anything, Kyungsoo’s not sure what would.  
  
The only problem is that Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how to approach Jongin about the matter. He’s sure he could just walk in and start kissing Jongin without a problem, but the truth is he hasn’t gotten laid in years and Jongin’s the first person he’s kissed since college. He’s a little awkward about it all and he’s overthinking everything so maybe Kyungsoo should just let Jongin try to initiate it. Unless Jongin doesn’t want to go any farther than the grinding they had done the night before, in which case Kyungsoo would be okay, though but he’d be a little disappointed. He was really looking forward to having Jongin’s dick in his mouth as he-  
  
“Okay Kyungsoo, calm the fuck down,” he says to himself, breathing deeply to calm his racing heart. He really needs to clear his head from all this.  
  
Just then, his wrist monitor goes off to signal he has an incoming message. It’s from Junmyeon, a fellow Lead Commander. He says there’s a party being thrown by his crew down at the public deck and that he’s looking forward to seeing him there. Kyungsoo bites his lip.  
  
A party. That would be perfect for him.  
  
He just hopes they have good booze so his mind can finally be Jongin-free.  
  
  


~

 

The great thing about Kyungsoo’s crew is that they know how to throw one hell of a party. Even other crew members enlisted under different Lead Commanders showed up to have a good time. Kyungsoo saw Junmyeon and his second-in-charge, Yixing, approach him through the thick crowd to commend him on his work so far on the case. Kyungsoo just gives them a tight lipped smile and gives his thanks before wandering off to find a drink. He really doesn’t want to think of the case at the moment. Whether he or Jongin likes it or not, Kyungsoo and his people have to continue studying into all of their data until the Lead Commander declares it a cold case. He has never declared any of his cases a ‘cold case’ in the past and he really doesn’t want to do it now. Although, unless he somehow gets Jongin to help him out, he may have to.

Kyungsoo weaves his way through the crowd, waving every once in a while when one of his people greets him. He finally gets to the table in the corner of the room, eyeing all of the different types of alcoholic beverages there. Some of them are extremely harmful to him since they are imported from across the galaxy, but when he sifts through the oddly shaped bottles he strikes gold. He cracks a grin at the sight of the green soju bottle in his hand. He hasn’t had this stuff since he was fifteen and stole if from his dad’s personal stash to go get wasted with some friends. He’s not even sure how anyone even got their hands on this unless they had gone to Earth recently.

Kyungsoo pours a generous amount into one of the clear cups nearby and takes a sip, loving the smooth feeling it gives as it goes down his throat. He continues sipping it, feeling his stomach tingle in the slightest. This will probably be the only thing he drinks tonight because he’s pretty much a lightweight when it comes to any sort of alcohol. Maybe he’ll try to find Minseok and get him drunk instead. That’s always a fun time and he definitely needs the distraction because thoughts of pale peach eyes and gentle touches begin slipping into his mind.

He weaves his way through the crowd again with his soju in hand, this time searching for Minseok.

 

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

 

 

 

By the time Kyungsoo calls it quits and heads back to his room, he’s at least a little buzzed. There’s a light, fluttering feeling in his head but he’s still sober enough to maneuver the hallways to his room without a problem. The feeling in his head almost reminds him of the sensation he gets in his chest when he’s around Jongin and it makes him think back to what happened earlier in the hallway. What if Jongin’s still awake now? Would they just go to sleep or maybe do something more? Kyungsoo sure hopes it’s the second option if he’s being completely honest with himself. He just wants to feel Jongin’s hands all over his body, no clothes there to ruin the mood.  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head frantically. What the hell is wrong with him? He’s been acting like such a hormonal teenage boy lately.  
  
He steps in front of his door and a small beam of light scans his face, the lock to his door ticking open a moment after. He almost forgot about the security system here. He called a friend of his to make sure Jongin would be able to get into his room at the research base without any sort of problem, but he wasn’t sure if it would work or not. Usually, to register someone else on these types of security systems requires the person to actually physically be there since the system has to scan all of the contours of their face.  
  
Kyungsoo takes his commander cap off of his head as the door slides open and walks in. He smiles at the sight of his pictures hanging on his wall. They’re mostly of him and his mother as he was growing up. His favorite, though, is the one at the end. It was taken the day of his graduation from the Intergalactic Peace Corps Academy. His mother is looking down at him with such a loving, proud look. Kyungsoo is beaming up at her as well, ignoring his brooding father standing behind them. The picture never fails to make the Lead Commander chuckle.  
  
He takes off his shoes at the end of the small hallway, putting them away in a small cubby close to the floor. He comes into his small makeshift living room to still see no sign of Jongin. He gets a concerned look and goes to check the bedroom to the immediate right of him. The door swooshes open when he stands in front of it to reveal Jongin laying comfortably on the bed. He had a few of Kyungsoo’s pillow propped up behind his back as he looked through something on one of the holopads that the Lead Commander always keeps by his bedside.  
  
Kyungsoo swallows harshly when Jongin’s eyes meet his, a smile growing on those beautiful lips of his. His eyes are a mix of orange and pinks, even as he shuts down the holopad and puts it away. He swings his legs over the edge of the bed but remains sitting, just watching Kyungsoo. “Did you have fun? I heard there was a party.”  
  
Kyungsoo feels an overwhelming sense of guilt wash over him. He didn’t even think to ask Jongin if he wanted to attend. Jongin seems to sense this and just smiles up at him. “It’s okay. I probably wouldn’t have gone anyway. I’m not that big of a people person.”  
  
Kyungsoo gives him an apologetic look and goes to sit next to him. He blinks a few times and remembers the last time he was anxious Jongin seemed to immediately know without him saying anything.  
  
“Jongin? Can you smell things?” Okay that was definitely not what he wanted to say but before he can take it back, Jongin chuckles.  
  
“Are you drunk Kyungsoo?”  
  
Kyungsoo flushes in embarrassment. “I mean like, can you tell how I feel just by your sense of smell?”  
  
Jongin smiles at him again, his gaze fond. “You could say that yeah. You can’t?”  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head. Curse his mediocre human senses. Jongin just hums, giving him a more thoughtful look. “I guess that means I’ll just have to be more expressive so you’ll know my feelings then.”  
  
Kyungsoo bites his lip at the thought. There is a brief silence and Jongin reaches out to brush his hair to the side. “What are you thinking?” he asks softly.  
  
Kyungsoo almost laughs because that’s usually his line. He looks at Jongin again and feels his stomach flip. “I don’t know.”  
  
Jongin caresses his jawline, sliding a bit lower to his neck. Kyungsoo shivers at the feather light touches and gives a nervous smile when Jongin places a chaste kiss on his cheek. Kyungsoo grabs his hand and grasps it tightly. “I don’t know what this is,” the Lead Commander says quietly, tracing the lines in Jongin’s palm, “but I like it alot.”  
  
Jongin just gives him a soft look that makes Kyungsoo’s heart swell with happiness. He looks down at the Daknae’s hand and gulps when he realizes this was the same hand that was on his crotch earlier, palming him so well. Kyungsoo feels heat drench his gut at the thought, his cock twitching in the slightest. He gets a horrified look when he notices Jongin visibly stiffen and let out a low hiss.  
  
Kyungsoo sees his nostrils flare and his eyes flash that deep pale peach that seems to take over his irises anytime they are together. The Lead Commander is surprised to see the skin around his eyes spark to life so quickly. Usually it takes a few minutes for it to happen.  
  
Jongin grits his teeth, squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand like he’s trying to stay in control. “Kyungsoo.”  
  
The Lead Commander feels out of breath just looking at how affected Jongin is. He moves himself and swings his legs to straddle Jongin’s thighs, holding onto his shoulders for dear life. Jongin stares heavily at him, almost downright glaring, but Kyungsoo knows it’s not out of anger, not with the way Jongin’s arms hold him steadily by his waist. As if he’s grasping something infinitely precious to him. Kyungsoo leans into the Daknae’s ear and lets out a high pitched noise he’ll probably be embarrassed about later.  
  
“Jongin please.” Jongin sharply inhales at the desperate tone in Kyungsoo’s voice. “ _Please_.”  
  
Jongin groans and puts his hands under Kyungsoo’s ass to support him as the Daknae gets up, Kyungsoo wrapping his legs tight around Jongin’s waist. Jongin leans in and kisses him, lips mouthing against his as he makes the kiss deeper. Kyungsoo returns the action and sucks on Jongin’s bottom lip softly. He goes to run his fingers through Jongin’s silver hair but is afraid to loosen his grip in fear that he’ll fall even though Jongin has a great grip on him. The Daknae’s muscles aren’t even twitching in exertion yet.  
  
“Bed,” he mumbles against Jongin’s lips, the Daknae getting the message right away and turns them around. He lets them fall together, their bodies bouncing slightly when they collide with the mattress. Jongin hovers over him, kissing him again but this time slipping his tongue in. Kyungsoo moans softly at the wet muscle sliding against his own.  
  
They kiss slowly, languidly. Jongin’s wandering hands, though, waste no time unlatching the small hooks that keep Kyungsoo's uniform jacket on. He pulls away to help Kyungsoo out of it, the human removing the small undershirt underneath as well.  
  
Nothing is rushed. They both take their time removing each other’s clothes and exploring one another’s body. Kyungsoo practically salivates at the sight of Jongin’s muscular thighs once his pants are removed. Once they are in nothing but their briefs, Jongin leans in to bump his nose against Kyungsoo’s. The Lead Commander brushes his hair from his eyes and smiles at the color alive in Jongin’s eyes, the irises still swirling with a deep, glowing peach.  
  
Jongin sighs in content, letting his eyes slip closed. “Show me how to pleasure you,” he says softly.  
  
Kyungsoo takes a moment to cup Jongin’s face and brings him in for a sweet kiss. He pulls away a moment later to pull at Jongin’s underwear, the Daknae understanding right away. He maneuvers himself this way and that until his underwear is removed, throwing the clothing with their other clothes on the other side of the room. Kyungsoo’s throat temporarily runs dry at the sight of Jongin’s cock curled high from arousal.  
  
Kyungsoo’s not sure what he was expecting since Jongin is technically of another species, but his cock is for the most part just like a human’s. The only main difference is that the tip is a bit more bulbous and flared, but not by much. The overall shape is very similar to that of a human’s, thick and of a decent length. Nothing Kyungsoo can’t handle.  
  
He reaches out and curiously wraps his hand around it, stroking from the base all the way to the tip. He’s a little surprised to actually feel it throb in his hands from his touch, Jongin letting out a low, animalistic sound in the back of his throat.  
  
Kyungsoo takes this as his cue to continue, thumbing the slit at the tip and around the skin at the bottom of the head. Jongin gasps and bucks his hips. Kyungsoo goes back to stroking the shaft, loving the warm pulsing it does in his hand. Jongin has his eyes shut tightly, seemingly holding his breath. Kyungsoo feels his own cock swell at the sight of the other’s face scrunched up in pleasure.  
  
Just then, Jongin takes a breath and his eyes snap open. A second later he’s pulling Kyungsoo’s hand away from his dick and practically clawing at Kyungsoo’s underwear. Kyungsoo lifts his hips so Jongin can side it off easily, the material getting caught on his ankles in the process. Jongin drinks in his appearance, running his hands up this bare thighs until he reaches his pelvis. Kyungsoo’s practically panting in anticipation when Jongin lightly grasps his cock in his hands.  
  
Jongin does the same movements that Kyungsoo had done to him earlier, stroking the shaft a bit before running his fingers over the tip. When Jongin leans forward a bit though, Kyungsoo’s breath catches in his throat. Jongin presses tender kisses to the base of Kyungsoo’s cock, mouthing at his sack as his hand continues to lightly stroke. Kyungsoo moans and screws his eyes shut, not able to take the sight of Jongin now licking his way up to the tip and swirling around there. He sucks lightly at the frenulum beneath the cockhead, causing Kyungsoo to jerk. He nips there, gently enough that it doesn’t hurt. Kyungsoo lets out a short whine when Jongin lets his dick slip totally into his mouth, sucking harshly and making Kyungsoo keen.  
  
The Lead Commander feels the pressure building in his gut and pulls Jongin’s head from his cock. He brings him to hover over him so they can kiss, their teeth clacking as both of them eagerly mouth at each other. Jongin’s back is hunched and the tip of his dick is warm against Kyungsoo’s skin. The Lead Commander reaches between them and grasps both of their cocks and moves his hand. Jongin groans deeply and bucks his hips at the sensation.  
  
“Jongin,” he pants, “you need to stretch me.” Jongin gives him a confused look, halting his movements. How he manages to still look like a lost puppy in such a precarious situation, Kyungsoo will never know.  
  
“Show me.” Kyungsoo gulps and takes his hands away from their hard dicks. He tells Jongin to lean back and he does, the Daknae sitting back on his knees to watch Kyungsoo move around. Kyungsoo turns around so he’s on all fours, a little embarrassed by how vulnerable he feels, but when he sees Jongin swallow nervously behind him, he smirks.  
  
Kyungsoo crawls up a bit on the bed to reach into the nightstand, a half empty bottle of lube lying at the bottom of the drawer. Kyungsoo grabs it, pours a bit onto his fingers and lays his head against the mattress, craning his head to watch Jongin as he reaches behind himself. Jongin’s eyes and skin are both sparking as Kyungsoo begins to stretch himself on his own fingers, first one, then two. Kyungsoo’s usually never this bold to put on a show for his partners, but he’s glad he is right now. He feels a surge of confidence the moment Jongin reaches to palm himself as well as stroke Kyungsoo’s shaft the best he can from the position the human is in. Kyungsoo lets out a choked moan when he adds a third finger, the stimulation from his fingers and his cock becoming too much.  
  
He withdraws his sticky hand from his ass when he feels he’s ready, raising himself enough so he can turn his torso to hand Jongin the bottle of lube. Jongin grabs the bottle and stares at it, screwing open the cap and tilting his head when the slippery substance pours onto his fingers. Kyungsoo almost wants to coo at how cute the other looks. “Put it on your dick.”  
  
Jongin looks up at him and Kyungsoo feels himself flush, realizing what he just said. “I mean- uh. Just you know. On yourself.”  
  
Jongin chuckles, the sound hoarse and throaty. “It’s okay Kyungsoo. I get it.” He does as he’s told and smears it on. Kyungsoo makes a face because he may have put a little  _too much_  on but oh well. It’s better than too little, he supposes. Jongin scoots closer on his knees once he’s done, laying a warm hand right at Kyungsoo’s ass cheeks. He strokes lightly, his thumb brushing over his entrance and pushing in just for a second before retracting. The small touch has Kyungsoo already withering. Words can’t even begin to express how great it feels to have the Daknae’s hands on him, even if they’re just featherlight touches.  
  
“Jongin  _please_ ,” he says desperately because this is exactly what he’s been waiting for. Jongin braces on hand on his hip, the other guiding his cock to Kyungsoo’s entrance. Once the cockhead breaches, Kyungsoo yelps but adjusts quickly, telling Jongin to keep going. Jongin eases in slowly, delicately until he’s buried to the hilt. He whispers sweet words to Kyungsoo, telling him how beautiful he is and how happy his is to be with him like this. Kyungsoo lets out a few pained cries because it’s been awhile since he’s last done this and Jongin’s definitely thicker than he thought he’d be, but he knows he’ll get through it. He balances himself on his arms, breathing deeply to try to will the pain away.  
  
After a few moments, Kyungsoo gets his breathing under control. His eyes flutter open and to the side to see Jongin staring down in worry. The Lead Commander smiles the best he can and cranes his neck. Jongin leans forward carefully to put a chaste kiss on Kyungsoo’s swollen lips. “You can move,” Kyungsoo says quietly.  
  
Jongin pulls out a bit and inches his way back in, sighing at the feeling. Kyungsoo sighs too, especially when Jongin picks up the pace a bit, a slight sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room. Jongin lets out a practiced groan from the back of his throat, the sound deep and longing. Kyungsoo groans too, although more out of breath from all his panting. His mouth parts and says a small “faster”, feeling heat trickle down his spine.  
  
There is no warning, Jongin just begins pistoning his hips straight into Kyungsoo. The human cries out at the speed, his body being pressed into the mattress again. He can barely breathe the moment he feels a wonderful sensation consuming him the moment Jongin thrusts into him just right. “There Jongin! Right there!”  
  
Even though Jongin may not know what he’s talking about, he still keeps the same angle as before, continuously hitting the other’s prostate as much as he can. Kyungsoo’s entire body is being jerked with how much force Jongin exuberates with his thrusting, but the pleasure is just too good for him to care. He already feels himself beginning to boil over, the coiling in his gut getting more and more apparent. He reaches down to stroke his neglected cock, using the precome oozing from the tip as a makeshift lube. He strokes himself in time with Jongin’s quick thrusts, the precome on his cock making the slide a lot easier but also making small squelching noises. Jongin gives a particularly hard thrust and he almost screams the moment he feels himself starting to tip over the edge.   
  
“Jongin!  _Jongin_!” Come spurts all over himself and the sheets, leaving Kyungsoo twitching from his orgasm. He still feels the pleasure coming in strong waves as Jongin’s hips pick up even more speed. Jongin snarls above him, gripping Kyungsoo’s hips hard and bringing them down to meet his quick thrusts. Kyungsoo lets himself be manhandled by the other man, enjoying the way Jongin frantically searches for his own climax.  
  
He whines when Jongin continuously abuses his prostate and turns around to give him a wrecked look. Tears have gathered in the corner of his eyes, making his eyelashes clump together. His cheeks are a bright red, his neck and collarbones flushed from arousal. Jongin’s nostrils flare just as they did before and he shoves Kyungsoo down so he’s lying on his stomach instead of on his hands and knees. He hunches over Kyungsoo’s back and continues his thrusting, the movements not as quick since the angle is a bit different, but still just as harsh.  
  
Jongin hunches over, leaning his upper body weight on his left arm. He uses the right one to cup Kyungsoo’s jaw and make him crane his head up so they could kiss. Kyungsoo lets out a moan at the uncomfortable angle his neck is being bent at but he’s becoming too tired to care. He should have realized that Jongin probably has a lot more stamina than him.  
  
“Kyungsoo, fuck.” Jongin lets out a short cry as his hips stutter. Kyungsoo  _feels_  his cock twitch violently inside him before a warm, thick substance is released. He moans at the feeling, having a sense of content wash over him now that they’ve both finished. Jongin thrusts shallowly to ride out his orgasm, the Daknae sticking his face in the juncture of Kyungsoo’s neck and breathing there. They both panted harshly, sweat drenching both of their bodies. When Jongin pulls out, Kyungsoo stutters out a breath from the oversensitivity. He can barely move, his limbs feeling boneless.  
  
He barely has enough energy to turn around onto his back, but when he does he notices Jongin is sitting back on his knees again looking at him fondly. “You okay?” he asks.  
  
“Yeah.” Jongin smirks and Kyungsoo inwardly cringes. He knows he sounds well fucked.  
  
Jongin gets off the bed and pads out of the room. Kyungsoo frowns for a moment but smiles when he sees the other male return with a damp towel. He lets Jongin wipe his stomach and crotch off until there are no longer any come stains, dabbing at the inside of his thighs where a mix of lube and Jongin’s release dripping from inside him have mixed.  
  
Jongin wipes himself off a bit before throwing the towel aside, flopping next to Kyungsoo. The Lead Commander cuddles into his side and presses loving kisses to his cheeks. Jongin grins tiredly and runs his fingers through Kyungsoo’s scalp.  
  
“Thank you, Kyungsoo.” Jongin voice is deep and filled with emotion. Kyungsoo, still a little buzzed from the soju earlier and being too tired to think anything of it, just pats his chest childishly as if to say ‘ _what are friends for?_ ’. Jongin just chuckles at the other’s antics and kisses the top of his head. “Go to sleep my dear Lead Commander. It’s past your bedtime.”  
  
Kyungsoo giggles quietly and gets comfortable in Jongin’s embrace, the Daknae wrapping an arm around him and keeping him close while the other lays across his muscular stomach so his hand can intertwine with Kyungsoo’s. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, rests his head on Jongin’s chest so he can be lulled to sleep by his strong heartbeat. It’s strange though. It’s almost as if there are two.  
  
He’ll have to ask about that when they wake up though. Right now he can barely keep his eyes open, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier with each passing moment. He gives up on fighting it and gives Jongin a quiet ‘ _goodnight_ ’ before succumbing to his exhaustion.

 

~

  
  
  
Kyungsoo wakes up with a light feeling in his chest and his body sore all over, but he revels in it. He feels fingers lightly stroking up his neck and around his jawline, caressing up and around his cheeks as well. His eyes flutter open to see Jongin staring at him with a soft smile, eyes mostly the same soft peach he saw last night but a more subdued, lighter colored. The skin around his eyes are also their usual caramel tint like the rest of his skin tone. Kyungsoo cracks a small grin at him. “Morning.”  
  
Jongin’s face scrunches up as he smiles even wider, opting to hide his face in Kyungsoo’s neck. Something the Lead Commander notices he seems to take a liking to. Jongin just rubs his face in in the crook, breathing there like he has numerous times before. Kyungsoo just giggles at the ticklish feeling of the Daknae’s breath.  
  
Jongin pulls his face away and just stares adoringly. “You’re happy this morning.”  
  
Kyungsoo reaches out and strokes back some of Jongin’s messy bed head. “I am. Are you?”  
  
Jongin hums, stroking Kyungsoo’s collarbone softly and grinning to himself. “Of course.” It’s silent between the two as they just bask in each other’s presence.  
  
Their morning is mostly spent in bed since Kyungsoo has the day off. His superiors were kind enough to allow all of Kyungsoo’s crew a day of readjustment since they had been traveling for so long. Kyungsoo really doesn’t mind because this just means they have more time to cuddle and talk together. Like any other time, Kyungsoo is doing most of the talking, but that’s okay. He’s just happy to have Jongin holding him so preciously.  
  
At one point, they both hear Kyungsoo’s stomach gurgle in hunger and when they look at the time on the clock, they see it’s almost past noon. They try to get up and get dressed, but Kyungsoo found that it hurt too much to walk without a slight limp and he just  _knows_ someone is going to ask him about it. In the end, they both decide it’s best if Jongin just goes out on his own to get them food while Kyungsoo waits back at their room. In the meantime, Kyungsoo took a quick shower to get rid of that musky smell that just seemed to cling to him. He’s sure Jongin will want to do the same when he comes back so he makes sure not to spend too much hot water.  
  
Kyungsoo’s in the middle of pulling his cotton t-shirt over his head when Jongin comes back into the room clutching a tray full of food close to his body, slamming his hand on the button on the control pad to quickly shut the door. He looks a little out of breath, to which Kyungsoo sends a questionable look. “Are you okay?”  
  
Jongin chuckles. “Depends how you define okay.” Kyungsoo’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “Minseok practically chased me from the eatery. I think I lost him somewhere in one of the laboratory hallways. I don’t think I would have survived if this place wasn’t like a maze.”  
  
Kyungsoo frowns. “Why was he chasing you?’  
  
Jongin puts the food down on the small table sitting in front of the sofa and shrugs. “Hell if I know. All I saw when I turned the corner was him prowling like some sort of wild beast. I thought I got by him and tried to leave as casually as possible after I grabbed the food, but he jumped on me as soon as I walked back into the main hallway. He said, and I quote, ‘ _You better tell me everything you little fucker or I’m sending your scrawny ass back to Kara beaten and bruised_ ’. So, naturally, you know, I ran away.”  
  
Kyungsoo snorts but then sighs a second later. He probably has Sehun to thank for Minseok’s aggressiveness today. The Lieutenant is going to kill him or Jongin if he doesn’t tell him anything soon. He’ll have to be sure to at least send him a message later so he knows the Lead Commander isn’t totally avoiding him (even though he kind of is).  
  
Kyungsoo looks to the tray filled with colorful fruits and assortments of meat. His stomach grumbles again at the wonderful smell. Jongin just laughs. “Let’s feed that monster of yours.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles as they sit together on the small loveseat and dig into their meal, both of them cracking jokes to each other so they won’t have to eat in silence.

 

~

  
  
  
For the next few days, Kyungsoo goes to work with a pep in his step. He hasn’t been able to really spend a lot of time with Jongin since he had to give lectures and continue studying the abundance of Daknae symbols they have for this case. He feels a bit bad because he would love to spend all day with Jongin, but his work comes first and Jongin understands that.  
  
Kyungsoo told Minseok everything that happened. He was originally going to wait and just casually tell him over lunch or something, but the Lieutenant basically jumped him the moment he stepped out of his room. At first he was suspicious Kyungsoo was lying but he began to believe him when he saw him limping in the slightest. He had a shit eating grin on his face and patted him on the back so hard he knocked the wind out of him.  
  
He was, though, a little perturbed at the fact that they weren’t together. Kyungsoo had to explain that they haven’t really talked about their actual feelings yet, to which Minseok got upset. Kyungsoo just shrugged. He’s too scared to approach Jongin about anything. While the Daknae is being super sweet and caring towards him, Kyungsoo still feels insecure about admitting that he may or may not have a big fat crush on him. His feelings probably go a lot deeper than a simple ‘ _i like you_ ’, but he really doesn't think he’s ready to admit that just yet.  
  
They did only meet not too long, so it’s weird for him to feel this way right?  
  
It’s something that’s definitely been on Kyungsoo’s mind for the last few days, especially when Jongin pampers him so much. The Daknae always gives him chaste kisses the moment he comes back to their room from a long day at work. Kyungsoo can’t help but to smile every time because it just feels so serene to have Jongin by his side like this.  
  
He’s noticed that Jongin seems to be a lot more talkative around him as well and Kyungsoo’s proud to say that the Daknae is finally breaking down his walls and letting Kyungsoo in. They talk about his past a lot, like what he did during his time on Earth and then at the moon base located near Saturn. Never anything before that though, but that’s okay. Kyungsoo is willing to wait until Jongin is comfortable enough to talk to him about that. The Lead Commander has his suspicions that Jongin knows exactly  _what_  happened to the rest of his people, but it’s still kind of a sore subject for Jongin so Kyungsoo tends to keep away from it.  
  
At the moment, he’s on his way to the eatery in hopes of meeting Jongin there during his break but is stopped by one of his crew members. She smiles at him. “Are you looking for the Daknae?”  
  
Kyungsoo nods. “We’re supposed to eat dinner together.”  
  
She points to her left. “I just came from the library and saw him in there. He looked pretty into whatever he was studying so he probably lost track of the time.”  
  
Kyungsoo gave her a warm smile. “Thank you.” She nods and continues on her way down the hallway. Kyungsoo walks towards the library, the hallway leading to it basically empty since most people are off eating or on break. When he enters the library, he smiles at the sight of the tall bookshelves stretching all the way to the ceiling, having a mix of physical novels and holopads stored with countless pages of information. These days, books are pretty much out of style and most information is stored on a holopad since it takes up less space and is more efficient for finding what you’re looking for right away. It takes a lot less time to just look up keywords on the holopad than having to flip through countless pages of a novel. Kyungsoo honestly prefers to have a physical copy in his hands to read, but he’s just old fashioned like that. His mother always did tell him he was born in the wrong era.  
  
A small robot wheels its way up to him, the screen on its face a blank black. Kyungsoo smiles at it and gives a small “Hello.”  
  
The robot makes a high pitch noise as if it’s computing something. “Hello Lead Commander Do,” it says, it’s artificial voice a little grating to Kyungsoo’s ears. This robot’s probably older than some of these books in here. “How may I help you?”  
  
“I’m looking for my friend. Someone told me he was studying in here.”  
  
The robot gives a strange monotone sound of understanding and turns his wheels so he’s facing the other way. “Yes, your companion is this way.” Kyungsoo follows it as it slowly weaves between the book shelves. They reach an opening that takes them both down some stairs. Their research facility doesn’t really have that big of a library, but it’s still an impressive size. It’s easy enough to get lost in without the help of the library bots leading the way.  
  
They take a few more twists and turns until they come to a stop. The robot turns around again. “Your companion is just around this corner. Is there anything else you wish to know?”  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head and smiles. “No. Thank you.”  
  
“It’s my pleasure.” The robot starts to roll away, a small hum coming from its motor to move its wheels. Soon it disappears behind a few shelves and Kyungsoo’s left alone. He peeks around the corner to see if he can spot Jongin. He notices the area is very small and only fits one table and a few chairs. It’s surrounded by bookshelves except for the back wall which has a window showcasing the planet the station is currently orbiting. There are several books and holopads scattered across the table. It looks like Jongin’s been in here all morning.  
  
Speaking of Jongin, the Daknae is currently sleeping on the holopad in front of him. His mouth is parted as he takes deep, slow breathes. Kyungsoo’s heart swells at the sight. When he creeps closer he tries to be as quiet as possible so he won’t scare the other male. He glances at the holopad Jongin’s resting on and is surprised to see that it’s specifically meant for storing information about different solar systems and their planets. Kyungsoo tilts his head in curiousity, but looks back to Jongin and smiles softly.  
  
He runs his fingers gently through the other’s hair, hearing a deep sound coming from the Daknae’s throat. He scratches lightly and then brings his fingers to lightly stroke against Jongin’s cheek. Jongin’s eyes flutter open, multiple colors mixing together and reminding Kyungsoo of the Aurora Borealis he had once witnessed during his time on Earth.  
  
Jongin lifts his head groggily, expression confused. “Kyungsoo?”  
  
Kyungsoo just chuckles softly and continues to stroke his cheek. “Mhm. How long have you been in here?”  
  
Jongin yawns and rubs the sleep from his eyes. “Ever since you left this morning.”  
  
Kyungsoo pulls out the chair beside Jongin and sits down. “What were you reading about all day?”  
  
Jongin licks his lips. “Little bits of everything. I looked into your culture a lot.”  
  
“Human culture?”  
  
Jongin shakes his head. “Korean culture.” Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows. Well he certainly wasn’t expecting that. “I remember you saying that humans are very diverse so I wanted to look more into your people and their history. It’s really beautiful honestly. Is it still as traditional as the books make it out to be?”  
  
Kyungsoo purses his lips. “It kind of is. I mean, like any culture, it’s subject to change. It’s very fluid and has changed a lot within the last hundreds of years. We still have hold a few traditions, like our day of thanks where we have a big feast and thank our ancestors for all that we have. A lot of people don’t participate in it anymore though. It’s a very old tradition.”  
  
Jongin looks at him in slight awe. “That’s so beautiful.” He looks back at the table and picks up an old book that seems to be falling apart at the seams. “I saw somewhere in here that I’m supposed to address you a certain way when I call you. Where is it- ah. Here.” He turns the book and slides it in front of Kyungsoo, his nimble finger pointing to a specific paragraph. “Hyung.”  
  
Kyungsoo looks at him in surprise. “Hyung?”  
  
Jongin nods, a little unsure. “It says that’s how a boy would address another boy that’s older than him. Is that not right?”  
  
Kyungsoo chuckles to himself. “Yeah, it’s right. You just threw me off. I haven’t heard someone call me that since middle school.”  
  
Jongin beams up at him. “So hyung then.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “You don’t have to call me that Jongin. I don’t mind if you don’t.”  
  
The Daknae gives a nervous smile. “I’ll only call you that every once and a while then. How about that?”  
  
Kyungsoo bites his lips and nods. “I’d like that.”  
  
When they slip into silence, Kyungsoo looks at the other books and holopads in front of them. Curiously, he picks up one of the holopads and reads the title. “Alpha Draconis System? Jongin, what’s this?”  
  
Jongin stiffens and fiddles with his hands. He stares down intently at the table, refusing to make eye contact with Kyungsoo. “I was curious about other solar systems and their planets.”  
  
Kyungsoo tilts his head at Jongin’s nervous behavior since it’s just so out of character for the Daknae, but he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he looks over at the holopad Jongin was once sleeping on and notices that all of the planets shown on the screen seem to be able to sustain life. His eyes widen at one planet in particular. “Hey I know that one.”  
  
Jongin looks up at him in surprise. “You do?”  
  
Kyungsoo nods enthusiastically. “It’s one of my father’s planets. He has this obsession with spending all of my family’s fortune on buying miscellaneous planets.” He scoots in closer and points at the picture. “It’s pretty small and is a special type of exoplanet because it revolves around two stars. It was going for a pretty low price before my father bought it since it’s believed the two stars it revolves around are going to cause problems in the future when their gravitational force becomes greater. But that won’t happen for at least another few centuries. Honestly, it’s in the middle of nowhere on the far side of the galaxy. No one ever goes anywhere near it so it’s very quiet and peaceful.”  
  
Kyungsoo is so caught up in his own memories of his brief visit there with his father, that he almost misses how Jongin’s face seemingly hardens. The Lead Commander blinks in confusion. Jongin is giving him such a serious look, it’s almost scaring him. “Can we go there one day?” Jongin asks softly.  
  
Kyungsoo scratches his neck. “Uh. Yeah. I guess I can organize something and we can go visit. Why the sudden interest though?”  
  
Jongin’s gaze drops back down to the holopad in front of him. “Just curious.”  
  
Kyungsoo stares at him for a bit, taking in the sad look on his features. He’s never really noticed it until now, but Jongin looks exhausted. The way his shoulders slump and his back hunches, like he has the weight of an entire planet resting on his shoulders. Kyungsoo reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Jongin looks up at him through long, thick eyelashes and the Lead Commander gives him a warm smile. “Let’s go get something to eat, hm? You look like you need it.”  
  
Jongin gives him a weak smile but nods, getting up. He goes to clear off the table but Kyungsoo stops him. “Leave it. The library bot would probably prefer to put them away himself.”  
  
“Oh. Okay,” Jongin says softly, going to stand by Kyungsoo’s side. He looks questionably at the human when he doesn’t move and just stares intently at him. Kyungsoo raises himself on his tip toes and kisses Jongin, a small wet sound filling the quiet room when Kyungsoo pulls away. Jongin unconsciously smiles. “What was that for?”  
  
Kyungsoo just grins, relieved to see a smile on the Daknae’s face again. It worries Kyungsoo sick to see Jongin look so emotionally torn even if Jongin tries his best to hide it. He saw it a few times when Jongin had just stared out the window in their cabin on the SS-Pytheas, with a forlorn expression. He’s not sure what exactly is going on in the Daknae’s head, but he knows it’s something really important to him. A selfish part of Kyungsoo wishes he would share it with him. “Nothing. You just looked a bit sad.”  
  
Jongin bites his lip to try to hide his bashful smile. “Thank you, Hyung.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart leaps. He’s not sure if he’s going to be able to survive Jongin calling him that. He clears his throat, trying to hide the giddy feeling making his chest feel tight. “Let’s go then. If we’re lucky we can still snag some dessert before they run out.”  
  
Jongin grabs Kyungsoo’s hand and intertwines their fingers, gently pulling him. “Come on. I know a shortcut out of here.”  
  
  


~

  
  
  
They go back to their room after their dinner and prepare for bed since the Lead Commander has to get up early the next morning. Kyungsoo’s in the middle of washing his hair when he hears the bathroom door swoosh open. His stomach gets all warm and fuzzy when he sees Jongin’s silhouette undressing on the other side of the curtain, the Daknae just chucking his clothes to the side rather than folding them neatly like Kyungsoo. He holds his breath when Jongin pulls the material back and steps in wordlessly. The Lead Commander turns around to face him, the shower pelting his back with water. He looks at him with wide eyes, but Jongin just smiles innocently and tells him to tip his head back a bit. Kyungsoo does, letting his eyes close when the water sprays into his eyes. Jongin leans forward and massages his scalp as he rinses the soap out. Kyungsoo moans silently at the pleasant feeling, hearing Jongin let out a low chuckle at the human’s reaction.  
  
Jongin tips his head forward and pushes his plastered hair a bit more to the side. Kyungsoo opens his eyes when he feels Jongin’s body flush against his own. His toes curl when he sees Jongin’s eyes glowing a deep peach. He tries to focus on the lukewarm spray hitting his back and not his spike of arousal when Jongin’s calloused hands wrap around his waist.  
  
“You know,” he says, voice deep and filled with emotion. “I looked up a few other things when I was in the library.”  
  
Kyungsoo gasps when Jongin’s mouth latches onto his neck and sucks on the skin there, his hands sliding down to rest his hips. Kyungsoo licks his lips. “Like what?”  
  
Jongin makes an inhuman sound deep in his chest and whispers in his ear. “Maybe I should show you.”  
  
Jongin starts off slow, simply tipping his chin to the left to give him more access to Kyungsoo’s neck, scraping his sharp teeth there and sucking bruises onto the skin. Kyungsoo lets out a shaky breath when he feels Jongin bend his knees a bit to lick down Kyungsoo’s collarbones and nips there. His fingers play with Kyungsoo’s nipples, swiping there until he releases a low moan at the feeling. Jongin withdraws from his chest and looks at him with a heated gaze, his eyes a pale peach. Kyungsoo leans first and kisses him, licking his way into the Daknae’s mouth. Jongin responds quickly, backing him up against the metal plates of the shower wall. The water sprays directly over Jongin now, but he doesn’t seem to pay any mind. He keeps his eyes closed anyway, enjoying the way their tongues slide across each other over and over again to fight for dominance in the kiss. Kyungsoo almost pouts when Jongin pulls away.  
  
The Daknae runs his hands down his body, their skin tones a beautiful contrast to each other. Kyungsoo holds his breath when Jongin gets on his knees and leans his head against Kyungsoo’s stomach, rubbing his nose along his navel and letting his tongue run along the hair that runs from his bellybutton to his crotch.  
  
Water pours from the showerhead above, erasing any traces of Jongin’s saliva on his skin but he can still feel the tingling sensation that his tongue left behind. Kyungsoo feels his cock twitch when Jongin licks the skin where his legs and hips meet, running his tongue all the way to the inner area and down his thigh. He places messy kisses there, hands coming up to squeeze his thighs, moving the skin so he can lap at the very inner part of them.  
  
“Jongin,” he gasps, the Daknae only taking this as more encouragement and decidingly swiping his tongue over Kyungsoo’s ballsack. He never directly touches his arousal, but he does a damn good job at touching every patch of skin around it. Sounds of his wet kisses and his light sucking fill the small bathroom and just drives Kyungsoo crazy. The Lead Commander tries to move his hips to the side so maybe Jongin would get the message but the Daknae ignores him, continuing to worship the body standing in front of him despite how painfully hard Kyungsoo is getting, his body feeling like it’s buzzing with arousal.  
  
“ _Jongin please_ ” Kyungsoo isn’t usually one to beg but his dick’s beginning to ache from the lack of friction. Jongin sucks harshly at the skin just before the base of Kyungsoo’s cock, the other’s face scrunching up at the sensation. He pulls away to look at Kyungsoo seriously. “Tell me what you want Kyungsoo.” His hands are warm against Kyungsoo’s skin and the steam of the shower really isn’t any help.  
  
He lifts his hips forward hesitantly, almost timidly so. “Please.”  
  
Jongin smirks and stands, towering over Kyungsoo. The Lead Commander gives him a bewildered stare, but Jongin ignores it and puts his hands on his ass, saying a small “ _jump_ ” in his ear.  
  
Kyungsoo jumps and wraps his thighs around Jongin’s hips. He’s slipping a bit because of the water, but Jongin jerks him a bit until he’s hanging on properly. The Daknae goes to shut the water off, muscles straining as he holds Kyungsoo with one hand like he’s some sort of a child being carried by their parent. He shrieks when Jongin stumbles out of the shower, the two of them still soaking wet. “If you drop me while we’re have sex I’m breaking up with you!”  
  
Jongin chuckles and kisses him to shut him up, stopping his movements and focusing on sliding his tongue against the front of the human’s teeth. Kyungsoo shivers and kisses back, grinding his hips in the slightest against Jongin’s stomach. Jongin growls and carefully bends down until they’re both seated on the bathroom floor, his calf muscles straining from Kyungsoo’s added weight.  
  
Kyungsoo adjusts himself once they’re on the ground and places his thighs on either side of Jongin’s hips, continuing to make out with him as he runs his hands up and down the other’s muscular chest. Kyungsoo’s muscular is certain areas- like his traps for example-, but not like Jongin who is lean and strong anywhere you touch. Kyungsoo scrapes his nails down the front of Jongin’s lithe torso, the Daknae letting out a sigh at the feeling. When it is low enough though, his hand tries to go for both of their aroused cocks, but Jongin stops him.  
  
Jongin forces Kyungsoo to turn around to face the opposite way. Kyungsoo is on his hands and knees much like during their first time, but Jongin spreads his thighs and slips himself underneath him. Kyungsoo comes face to face with Jongin’s glorious cock and he feels Jongin sink his nails into his plush ass and pull the cheeks apart. He moans when he feels a wet sensation lapping at his entrance, breaching in the slightest before retracting.  
  
Kyungsoo leans his upper body weight on one of his arms, his other hand grabbing Jongin’s cock and stroking it slowly. He’s not going to lie, he’s been wanting to do this for a while now. He absolutely loves the feeling of the warm appendage in his hands, it’s pulsing as he begins licking his way up from the base to the tip. Jongin moans from somewhere behind him, Kyungsoo feeling his panting on the skin around his entrance. Jongin cranes his head down and licks at Kyungsoo’s ballsack, turning his head this way and that as he sucks gently there.  
  
Jongin strokes his cock as well, teasing the tip by forming his thumb and index finger in a circle and twisting them at the head. Kyungsoo jerks, letting out a strangled noise. He decides to do the same and sucks at Jongin’s cockhead, engulfing his dick halfway to the base right after.  
  
Jongin sighs out his name and Kyungsoo continues, allowing Jongin to thrust his hips into his mouth. He hollows his cheeks and swirls his tongue around the tip when Jongin withdrawals, only to thrust back in. The Daknae strokes him at a quick pace now, causing him to pull away from the other’s cock to breath properly.  
  
While Kyungsoo’s distracted, Jongin reaches to his side and grabs the lube. Kyungsoo eventually notices though, taking note of the pillows leaning against the nearby wall as well. He slits a glare at Jongin, the Daknae withdrawing his hand from his dick in favor of pouring lube onto his fingers. “You planned this, didn’t you?”  
  
Jongin smirks. “What do you think?”  
  
“You’re such a little-  _shit_.” Jongin thrusts two of his fingers into Kyungsoo without warning, only breaching halfway past his first knuckle of his fingers. Kyungsoo groans as Jongin pushes them in a bit farther before withdrawing and thrusting them back in slowly. There is a lewd sound coming from the slide of his fingers, but Kyungsoo can barely even think straight when Jongin starts to scissor his fingers. He knew having Jongin’s hands inside him would feel great, but  _damn_.  
  
Soon enough, he adds a third and even a fourth like a proper gentlemen. Kyungsoo would smile gratefully at him if it weren’t for the fact the Daknae was currently abusing his prostate by crooking his fingers in just the right way. “Jongin, yes!”  
  
“Mmm I love seeing you like this Kyungsoo. But you know what I’d love to see even more?” Kyungsoo’s cock twitches at the other’s sultry voice. “Me fucking those wonderful thighs of yours.  
  
Kyungsoo turns to look at him desperately. “Please do.”  
  
Jongin retracts his hand wipes it on his stomach to get a bit of the stickiness off and pulls himself out from underneath Kyungsoo. The human flips over on to his back to get a good look at the Daknae and spreads his legs slightly. Jongin grabs the pillow leaning against the wall and tells him to lift his himself. Kyungsoo does and plops them back down once the pillow is underneath. Jongin lifts his legs and Kyungsoo crosses his ankles to keep his thighs together. He’s past the point of shame now, utterly amazed at just how much research Jongin seemed to do. He would have never thought he’d be giving a thigh job again, the last time being some random fling in college.  
  
Jongin grabs his dick and lubes it up before guiding it to his thighs and pushing in slowly. Kyungsoo bites his lips when he feels his dick push against the soft skin of his thighs, nearly drawing blood when he sees the cockhead appear and disappear again. When Jongin forms a rhyth, Kyungsoo reaches to stroke the tip when it appeared, the color of it red and angry. Jongin’s hips stutter a bit when Kyungsoo twists his fingertips around the cockhead.  
  
The human is almost entranced by the sight of the cock moving between his thighs. He squeezes them together when Jongin brings his hips back before slamming them forward again. The Daknae whimpers at the feeling, placing his hands on both sides of his outer thighs and squeezing them together. Kyungsoo groans and reaches down to stroke himself with Jongin’s thrusts, loving the enticing expression Jongin is currently sporting. His eyebrows are furrows and his cheeks are all scrunched up, his lips twitching as he grits his teeth. His eyes are closed but Kyungsoo just  _knows_  they are a beautiful glowing peach.  
  
When Kyungsoo starts to stroke himself faster, slick noises fill the bathroom. Jongin looks down at him with his mouth parted, eyes hooded as he still his movements. He gently uncrosses Kyungsoo’s ankles and spreads his thighs apart, propping them up on his broad shoulders. He leans forward, nearly bending Kyungsoo in half as he goes to kiss him.  
  
The kiss is slow, both of them calming their breathing and just focusing on each other. Kyungsoo can feel the cold breeze on the wet spots on his thighs where the lube is currently drying, but he’s distracted from that when Jongin presses his cockhead against his entrance. He looks up at Jongin and sees he’s hesitating on purpose, as if to ask permission. Kyungsoo wants to laugh at him but just settles for a warm smile, peppering his sun kissed skin with kisses. Jongin smiles at him too, looking down briefly to watch him bury himself inside Kyungsoo. Both men moan when Jongin slips all the way in.  
  
He makes cautious thrusts, Kyungsoo’s body bouncing slightly with the movement. Kyungsoo wraps his hand around the nape of Jongin’s neck as the other hunches over him. His thrusts pick up speed after a bit and Kyungsoo moans gratefully. He needs something else to focus on besides his muscles starting to scream from him being bent in half.  
  
Jongin runs his nose along Kyungsoo’s cheek. “You’re so tight, Hyung.” Kyungsoo lets out a cry, body arching in the slightest. Jongin smirks and pins his his legs by his head, making his muscles strain and twitch. “You’re so beautiful like this.”  
  
Jongin adjusts his angle now that Kyungsoo’s body contorted even more than before. He pulls out and thrust back in and-“Fuck Jongin right there!” Kyungsoo feels his body thrum, a pleasant feeling pumping through his veins as Jongin continually pushes against his prostate.  
  
Jongin deeply inhales and groans, the skin around his eyes sparking brightly like pink bolts of electricity under the skin. “Kyungsoo,” his voice is so hoarse now. Kyungsoo’s no better, moaning and grunting loudly every time Jongin so much as thrusts in. “Touch yourself.”  
  
Kyungsoo reaches between himself the best he can manage with his strained position and tugs on his leaking cock as fast as he can, his moans getting louder and louder. Jongin pistons his hips harshly and quickly, feeling Kyungsoo tighten around him as the smaller male approaches his orgasm. Jongin makes sure to aim for his prostate every time, getting an accomplished grin when Kyungsoo begins to unravel.  
  
His body wants to arch up from the all of the beautiful sensations he’s feeling but Jongin still has his legs pinned at his head. Instead, he starts shaking and pulling desperately at his cock, mumbling incoherent words mixed with Jongin’s name. Jongin gives one particularly hard thrust and he’s seeing stars.  
  
His body convulses as he lets out a short yelp, come spurting between their bodies, some landing on Jongin’s chest and the rest landing all over Kyungsoo. A bit even gets on the tip of his chin because of the way he’s bent, but he doesn’t really notice until Jongin starts lapping at it. Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open to see the Daknae licking his lips, a wild glint in his eyes. “You taste so good Kyungsoo.”  
  
Kyungsoo moans again, weakly putting his arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. Kyungsoo feels Jongin twitching, his cock doing small jerking movements inside. His movements are a bit frantic and Kyungsoo groans when he feels warmth fill him. They don’t move for a few moments, both panting heavily.  
  
Jongin does lean back and brings Kyungsoo’s legs to rest on either side of him, for which the Lead Commander is grateful. Jongin pulls out slowly and looks at Kyungsoo with a smug grin. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes because- “God damn it Jongin. I was taking a shower so I could get clean. Now I’m dirty again.”  
  
Jongin’s grin just widens. “Here, I can help with that.” He leans down and tongues at the come lying on Kyungsoo’s stomach, lapping it onto his tongue like some kind of dog drinking water. Kyungsoo gulps at the sight, pushing his head away.  
  
“Help me back into the shower you little shit.”  
  
Jongin chuckles. “As my princess commands.”

 

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

 

 

 

They are both lying in bed, propped up against the headboard. Now that they’re all clean again Kyungsoo feels content, that is until he remembers something. Kyungsoo cups Jongin’s cheek. “Jongin, I need to know something.” Jongin tilts his head to show that he’s listening. “What we just did, what we’ve been doing, is it considered casual in your culture? Or does it mean something else?”  
  
It’s a question that’s seriously been bugging Kyungsoo lately and he really needs an answer soon or else he’ll probably just continuing overthinking everything. Jongin smiles at him, forest green swirling around the edge of his eyes. “Something else?”  
  
Kyungsoo chews on his lip. “Like something special.” Jongin hums in understanding. “Because for a human, we can consider it both depending on the situation and who you’re doing it with.”  
  
Jongin gives him a slightly bewildered look. “Humans have casual sex?”  
  
Kyungsoo blushes. “Yeah sometimes.” He’s going to leave out all of the college stories then. Jongin doesn’t need to know about all that.  
  
The Daknae lays on his back and stares up at the ceiling, deep in thought. “Well, to be honest sex isn’t a big deal to my people. We never really participate in it unless it’s for reproductive reasons.” Kyungsoo gives him a questioning look, because if he remembers correctly Jongin was usually the one to initiate things between them. Jongin chuckles at his suspicious expression. “I know what you’re thinking, but really, I’m telling the truth. The reason why I wanted to have sex with you was because I knew it can be how your people show affection, to make the other person feel special and loved. I wasn’t sure if you realized my intentions or not so I figured I should keep trying until you did. Guess I should have been more direct about it.”  
  
Kyungsoo swears his heart misses a beat. “So you mean…?”  
  
Jongin turns and smiles at him. “I really like you Kyungsoo. Does my dear Lead Commander, perhaps, like me back?”  
  
Kyungsoo snorts and light smacks his chest. “Don’t call me that when I’m still  _naked_  for God’s sake. It makes me feel like a dirty old man.” Jongin laughs loudly, the sound almost reminding him of a dying seal. Kyungsoo laughs too and reaches over between them to take Jongin’s palm into his own. “But yes, Jongin. I really like you too.”

 

~

 

  
Kyungsoo has his ear pressed to Jongin’s chest an hour or so later, listening to his strong heartbeats. According to Jongin, he has two hearts. He was momentarily disturbed when Kyungsoo told him he only had one, whispering something about how aliens can be so strange. The Lead Commander loves the irony in that because in  _his_  eyes, Jongin’s the strange alien, not him.  
  
Jongin is playing with his fingers nervously. Kyungsoo’s been waiting for the last hour and a half for him to say something, but all there is silence. Kyungsoo glances at the clock on his nightstand reading the standardized time for their sector of the solar system. Kyungsoo inwardly groans when he sees he’s going to have to get up in a few hours. He supposes he could tell Minseok that he’ll come in late, but then again the Lieutenant will probably just get nosy and ask why and he would rather save himself from that unpleasant experience.  
  
“Kyungsoo?” The Lead Commander lifts his head to look at Jongin’s face. He has such an anxious and frightened look in his eyes, the irises taking on a clear mix of silver and amber. “I-” he bites his lip harshly and Kyungsoo feels his heart lurch at the sight. “I need to show you something.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods and Jongin shifts a bit, signalling he wants to get up. Kyungsoo lets him, getting up as well. Jongin tongues his cheek and looks at Kyungsoo like he’s contemplating something. “Let’s get dressed first.”  
  
They both dig through Kyungsoo’s drawers to find suitable clothing, Kyungsoo not putting on his uniform but instead just grabbing a loose fitting t-shirt and some jeans. Jongin decides to just put on what he was wearing earlier, his black, tight fitting undershirt and dark wash pants another crew member named Chanyeol had lended him. Kyungsoo puts on his shoes and Jongin does the same. When they’re both ready, the Lead Commander looks at him curiously. “Now what?”  
  
Jongin timidly steps forward and wraps his arms tightly around his waist, leaning his head against Kyungsoo’s hair. “Hold on tight,” he says in his ear. Kyungsoo grips onto Jongin with all his might. There’s a loud ripping sound and soon Kyungsoo is enveloped in darkness.  
  
What feels like seconds later, they are both standing in the middle of some sort of pathway. Kyungsoo gapes at the inky grey walls towering meters above him. There’s a stagnant smell in the air as well, like its stale. Jongin watches him as he slowly puts the pieces together in his mind. “Do you remember this place?”  
  
Kyungsoo nods and steps toward the wall, letting his palm touch the cool stone before retracting it. “Yeah but this was just a dream.” He turns to look back at Jongin, the dull light coming from who knows where making it hard to see the tiny details of his face. It reminds him of what Earth had looked like at dusk during some sort of storm. Dark and dreary, different shades of grey and white decorating the world around it. “This is a dream….right?”  
  
Jongin sighs, getting that look again, like the world is resting on his shoulders. Gently, he puts a hand to the small of Kyungsoo’s back. “This way.”  
  
They walk for what seems like hours, seemingly in circles. Kyungsoo vaguely realizes that they’re in some sort of maze. How did they even get here? “Is this even possible?” he whispers to himself more than anything, but Jongin answers anyway.  
  
“All of it is possible. Come on, we’re almost there.” The Daknae laces Kyungsoo’s fingers with his own and leads him down the pathway, a heavy fog setting over them as the walk. Eventually they enter a familiar clearing filled with multiple cloaked figures all huddled together in miscellaneous groups. Call him crazy, but Kyungsoo swears none of the figures have even moved from their spots since the last time he was here in his dream. Well, what he thought was a dream. Apparently, this is somehow all real so they must be too.  
  
The thought strikes a chord in Kyungsoo as he turns to look at Jongin with wide eyes, his mouth feeling like it’s filled with cotton. Jongin is just observing him as Kyungsoo takes in everything and draws his own conclusions. He briefly glances to the middle of the clearing and then back to Kyungsoo. The Lead Commander tears his eyes from Jongin to look at the same spot. He notices what looks to be a corner of some sort of carving in the ground, the rest of it obscured by the sand-like sediment covering the whole area.  
  
He walks to it hesitantly, a bit creeped out at all of the cloaked figures just standing there, hunched over and doing nothing. He gets on his knees and wipes the sediment away until the entire carving is shown, the Lead Commander giving a loud gasp as he recognizes it almost immediately.  
  
He can barely breathe. Right in front of him, is the same symbol he had seen in the caves where the Daknaes previously lived. It was a complex looking maze, the middle holding a strange triangle with crooked lines running in a circle and a dot in the very middle. He’s so shocked that he barely registers that Jongin had walked up beside him. When he does, he looks up at him in utter confusion. “Jongin. What is all this?”  
  
The Daknae heaves a heavy sigh and sits beside Kyungsoo on his knees too, staring down at the symbol. The people around them don’t pay them any mind, seemingly in some sort of daze as they just pace around aimlessly. Jongin opens and closes his mouth repeatedly, looking for the right words. Kyungsoo stares at Jongin softly, patiently and reaches out to grasp his hand. He gives a small squeeze of encouragement.  
  
Jongin swallows thickly. “Do you remember how I told you everyone in my race is born to carry out a specific duty? That our life path is chosen for us at birth?” Kyungsoo nods and Jongin hesitates, but then bows his head in shame.  
  
“They celebrated me,” he said, so quietly Kyungsoo could barely hear even in the silent area. “They threw a ritual feast in my honor because I was supposed to save them all. But I was too young. Most people that have my job are trained until they are much, much older. I didn’t understand anything and because of that, I still haven’t been able to carry out my duty.”  
  
Kyungsoo squeezes his hand again to show that he’s listening. Jongin seems to be at a complete loss at what else to say, getting a bit choked up as he looks at the hooded figures around them. “They’ve been here for so long, Kyungsoo.  _So long_.”  
  
Kyungsoo looks around at the figures. “So then these people..”  
  
Jongin nods, looking back down at his lap. “They are what is left of the Daknaes besides myself. I was taught by the elders that every couple centuries or so the Daknae people relocate to another planet. We don’t like to stay in one place too long because we don’t want to harm the planet we live on. We see it as if we are the guests and the planet is our host. We never overstay our welcome. It’s wrong in our culture to take advantage of a planet like that just for its resources. But the last planet my people chose to inhabit…” he trailed off for a few seconds, blinking multiple times.  
  
Kyungsoo feels his heart tug when he sees a few tears fall from Jongin’s eyes. His irises are a glowing silver, the sparks of greyish color pulsing under the skin around his eyes. “They were so sick Kyungsoo. It took some time, but so many fell ill. So many  _died_.” Kyungsoo tongued his cheek silently. It’s strange because he and his team found no traces of bodies at the excavation site. Jongin seems to sense his thoughts and gives him a grim look. “I was about seven earth-years old when I had to bring their bodies here and leave them at the far corners of the maze.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s face morphed into a horrified expression almost instantly. “They made a  _child_ transport dead bodies?!”  
  
Jongin swallowed harshly again and wiped his eyes, pulling his hand from Kyungsoo’s to press it to his face and will himself to stop the tears from flowing. Kyungsoo scoots closer to him and wraps his arm around his shoulders, bringing him to his chest. Jongin’s body is shaking a bit but he’s not sobbing yet. Kyungsoo just rubs his back soothingly. “I’m sorry Jongin. I shouldn’t have said it that way-”  
  
Jongin shakes his head frantically. “N-No you’re right. But they had no choice. I’m the only one who had the power to get them here. There was no other way. We couldn’t leave the bodies there either. It goes against what we stand for. We are not supposed to leave anything behind.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods, holding Jongin tightly and rocking them back and forth. Jongin tries to calm his breathing by taking deep breathes. Kyungsoo just kisses the crown of his head and hums under his breath. Jongin seems to relax after that, focusing on the sound of the Lead Commander’s honey sweet voice humming a small tune he made up on the spot.  
  
When Jongin pulls away and sits up again, Kyungsoo smiles at him. Jongin gives him a weak smile in return before looking at the symbol in front of them. Kyungsoo figures they should move onto a topic a bit different now. “Jongin? Where exactly are we?”  
  
Jongin looks at the high rising walls encompassing the open area in a hexagonal shape. “Realistically speaking? I have no idea. Maybe some sort of alternate universe or something. I haven’t found any signs of life but then again I haven’t walked the entire maze. The, uh,” he visibly cringes, “the bodies disappear though.”  
  
Kyungsoo feels shivers run up his spine at the thought. Dead bodies disappearing on their own? No thanks. He’s a wuss when it comes to anything horror related. “That’s….comforting.”  
  
Jongin chuckles quietly. “Yeah I don’t like the idea of it either. There’s a sort of mythology that goes along with this place, how the Daknae first started using it to transport their people across the galaxy. It’s a bit of a long story though.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyebrows raise. Now this is right up his alley. “I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me, Jongin. You know I won’t force you to tell me anything.”  
  
Jongin gives him a fond look. “I know. That’s what I like so much about you, Hyung.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles at the ‘hyung’ part. “Go ahead then. I’m all ears.”  
  
Jongin licked his lips nervously. “It’s about a Daknae named Kojung. Back in his time, the Daknae people were much like humans in their earlier years. Primal and unable to leave their planet without the proper resources. At the time, they worshipped the Gods of Nature. One of them was named Hyejin, a river Goddess that was responsible for giving the Daknaes clean water so they could live their lives comfortably. Kojung was at the river one day getting water when Hyejin appeared to him. She had never interacted directly with the people before and she was curious. Kojung and Hyejin spent multiple days together during the night when they thought everyone else was sleeping. Kojung fell in love with her and her with him.”  
  
The Lead Commander continues giving Jongin a comforting smile, watching Jongin stare intensely at the ground as he tries to recall the rest of the story. “Hyejin often missed him during the day and was tired of only being able to see him in the middle of the night, so she granted him special powers. These powers allowed him to travel between the two worlds. The one he and his people lived in, and this one.” Jongin gestures to the inky grey walls around him.  
  
“They were happy for a while, but then there was a solar flare from a nearby star and the Daknae people were facing mass extinction. Kojung started bringing everyone he could to this place to save them. Hyejin was outraged at first but Kojung begged her to give them sanctuary. She eventually agreed, and told him she would bless this maze so they would stay alive until they found a more suitable home.”  
  
Jongin looks at the particularly small hooded figure moving by him. Kyungsoo notes that it vaguely looks like a small child. “From then on the Daknae people have used this place as a method of transportation. We worship Kojung and Hyejin as our saviours and believe the Goddess watches over us because she knows how much her lover cared for his people.”  
  
Kyungsoo takes a second to absorb it all. “So then how did your people get the idea to start moving every so often?”  
  
“It was something Kojung turned into law once they had begun to rebuild their colony on their new home. He and Hyejin really turned our culture around and made it a lot more selfless.”  
  
Kyungsoo hummed, giving Jongin a curious look. “Does that mean you’re a descendant of Kojung then? You have his powers so it would only make sense.”  
  
Jongin laughs at the thought. “No definitely not. I don’t even know if Kojung has any descendants. Hyejin couldn’t bear children since she was a Goddess. I’m just one of the lucky few that won the lottery I guess.”  
  
Kyungsoo makes a face at that and Jongin just shrugs. “Whenever the Daknae people need to relocate or are in some sort of danger, a child will always be born with Kojung’s power. It’s one of the reasons the Daknae race firmly believes Hyejin is still watching over them.”  
  
Kyungsoo thinks hard about it. The only thing that he can’t piece together is how Kojung could have possibly gotten off the planet alone. Unless, of course, he had some sort of help. Kyungsoo blinks. “Wait Jongin. How did you get off HR-2245? Are your powers that strong?”  
  
Jongin has that sad look again and Kyungsoo’s angry at himself for even opening his mouth. “I’m supposed to be stronger but I was never trained. The other people like me were able to travel between worlds but I’m only able to come here. The elders had to get me help from a time traveler.”  
  
The Lead Commander narrowed his eyes. No fucking way. “Was his name Kim Jongdae?”  
  
Jongin looked at him a little surprised. “Yeah how did you know?”  
  
Kyungsoo facepalms. “He’s the one I talked with in order to get information on your people since he was the only witness that could help out with the case.” So Jongdae had known what happened to the Daknaes the entire time. But why didn’t he share it? From what Kyungsoo remembers, he seemed just as confused as the rest of his crew about the matter. Maybe he was sworn to some sort of secrecy. But then again, he’s the one that filed the report that the Daknae people had gone missing. Kyungsoo feels his head throb. He’s going to have a killer headache come morning.  
  
The Daknae plays with his hands and shifts a bit, probably uncomfortable to be on his knees for so long. “Yeah Jongdae helped us out a lot. After the ritual, I was so alone. I had to bring all of my people here and go back to an abandoned city that was once my home. Jongdae took care of me though. He took me in for a few years and brought me everywhere he went. I’m not good with time travel though, so eventually he brought me to live at his house on Earth. I stayed there for a few months until someone saw me and thought I was trespassing so I had to leave. I used some of the money Jongdae left me and hitched a ride to Saturn’s moon base.”  
  
“How did you end up back on Dakartius-” Jongin looks at him immediately and Kyungsoo puts his hand to his mouth quickly, sputtering out incoherent noises.  
  
Jongin holds Kyungsoo’s hands and gives him a soft look. “It’s okay Kyungsoo.” The Lead Commander looks at him hesitantly. The last thing he wants to do is upset the Daknae when he’s already an emotional mess, even if he doesn’t show it on the outside.  
  
Jongin plays with his hands, the both of them falling into silence. The only sounds filling the room are of the hooded figures scuffing their feet on the floor as they walk drearily without purpose. Jongin just watches them morosely. “A much older version of Jongdae called me and told me that he filed a report with the Intergalactic Government Space Agency and they sent it to you guys so you could open a case on it. He thought I needed help finding a proper planet so I could bring my people back, so he took matters into his own hands. I was so pissed off with him because I told him to stay out of it, but he refused to listen. I stole some trader’s ship and left to try to destroy the city before your people got to it first. When I got there, you were all already set up and I was at my wits end on what to do. I couldn’t let you study that city so I bombed it and well, I guess the rest is history.” Jongin purses his lips. “Funny,” he says. “I wonder if he knew I would meet you.”  
  
The Lead Commander blinks repeatedly and tries to let everything fulling sink in. He rubs his eyes and shakes his head. “Wow.”  
  
The other male gives him a wary smile. “I’m overwhelming you, aren’t I?”  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head. “No it’s fine. It’s just a lot to take in.” He makes eyes contact with Jongin. “I’m also still pretty convinced this is just a dream and I just passed out after we had sex.”  
  
Jongin shakes his head. “Unfortunately you’re very much awake and this is very real.”  
  
Kyungsoo lets out an uneasy sigh, looking around worriedly at the heavy fog settling into the open area. He’s suddenly reminded of the disappearing bodies Jongin had told him about and he grips the Daknae’s arm. “Do you think we could go back to the room? I’m-uh. It’s a bit creepy in here all of a sudden.”  
  
Jongin doesn’t look the slightest bit phased by the eery fog but nods anyway, pulling Kyungsoo close. A loud ripping sound rings in Kyungsoo’s ears and his vision goes black.

 

~

  
  
  
In a flash, they are back to their room aboard the research facility. Kyungsoo feels a heavy weight lifted off his chest at the feeling of being back in his own room. He looks up at Jongin, who is still holding him closely, his eyes mixing with several colors. A dull silver practically glows around the pupil while yellows and oranges swirl with blacks and greys, as if they were dancing. The Lead Commander’s never seen his eyes filled with so many emotions like this.  
  
He reaches up tentatively and puts his palm to his cheek, Jongin leaning into his touch automatically. “Jongin?”  
  
“I need your help,” his voice is so broken and defeated. “Jongdae was right. I can’t do this on my own. I’ve tried to talk to the elders while they were in the maze but they never answer me, they just  _stand there_  and watch me suffer. I don’t want to fail Kyungsoo. I don’t want to be the reason my people die out.”  
  
Kyungsoo hugs him tight, letting out a deep sigh. “It’s okay Jongin. I’ll help you, I promise. But we have to tell my superiors about this.”  
  
Jongin pulls away, looking at him with panic in his eyes. “But we can’t. I’m not allowed-”  
  
“Jongin if we tell the Intergalactic Peace Corps about this, they will have to help. This is what they are here for. We need them in order to make sure that we find your people a suitable planet where they won’t get sick again.”  
  
Jongin looks so torn but nods in the end. “Okay but I can’t tell them everything I told you. My culture is not meant to be shared with others.”  
  
Kyungsoo tilts his head and gently brushes the Daknae’s platinum blonde hair out of his eyes. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you share all this with me then?”  
  
Jongin blushes a bright red and avoids eye contact, his eyes brightening with a pale peach. He puts his palm to Kyungsoo’s chest, right where his heart should be. “To me, you are Daknae at heart and I lo-” Jongin cuts himself off, his cheeks getting redder, “I like you.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles so much it hurts, his eyes even tearing up a bit. He attacks Jongin with a bear hug, the Daknae letting out a small ‘oomph’ when their bodies collide. “Thank you Jongin,” he says quietly, his voice wobbly. “That means so much to me.”  
  
Jongin chuckles and wraps his arms around him, kissing his forehead and sighing happily.

 

~

  
  
  
“This is Lead Commander Do Kyungsoo of the SS-Pytheas with Private Kwon Jihye interviewing Kim Jongin, a member of a race known as Daknae. Let’s begin.”  
  
All three of them are huddled in a small interrogation room located on board Kyungsoo’s ship. Originally Kyungsoo wanted to bring Minseok in on this, but he figured he would just ask inappropriate questions if given the chance. He  _did_  straight up ask Jongin if he’s even big enough to satisfy Kyungsoo.  _In front of one of the generals of the research base_. Needless to say, he tries to avoid having Minseok anywhere near the Daknae in public. He has no filter sometimes.  
  
The air around them is a lot more relaxed than the last time Kyungsoo tried to interview the Daknae. Instead of ice blue eyes glaring holes into his soul, he has gentle orange hues looking at him contently. They both agreed last night that Jongin would be interviewed the next day to file a report just as Jongdae did in the beginning. This time, though, Kyungsoo can have the report expedited and have the Intergalactic Peace Corps help them right away. Since it deals directly with Kyungsoo’s case, there’s no way any of his superiors can reject it.  
  
Jihye looks through some questions she wrote down and reads them over, not sure where to start. Kyungsoo is sitting beside her with Jongin sitting opposite of them both. He’s mostly here to oversee the interview and make sure Jihye doesn't ask any pressing questions. It was one of the main reasons Jongin was scared to participate, but Kyungsoo assured him he would take care of it. He’s just glad Jongin trusts him enough to do that now. Had it been a little less than a month ago, he probably would have just spit in the Lead Commanders face for even suggesting it.  
  
Jihye looks up at Jongin, a little nervous-probably from stories she’s heard about him- but Jongin just gives her an encouraging smile. She licks her lips. “Why don’t we start off with why you’re here today?”  
  
“I’m here to officially ask for help for my people.”  
  
She narrows her eyes in question. “Your people?”  
  
Jongin proceeds to go into detail about what happened before the Daknaes disappeared, how they had gotten very sick because of the planet they traveled to, to which Jihye fires out another question. “You mean they got sick from Dakartius?”  
  
Kyungsoo is about to shoot the question down when Jongin sighs. “Dakartius is not a sole planet. It is a belief. A principle that if you treat a planet right, it will treat you right as well. I’m not sure why, but the planet made my people sick, so no. This was not Dakartius. It was just a host planet at the time. My people are like nomads. We don't like staying in one place too long because then we are no better than thieving parasites, so we relocate every few centuries. That’s all I’m permitted to say about that subject though.”  
  
Jihye nods in understanding and to Kyungsoo’s relief, stays clear of the subject from then on.  
  
The interview continues on without any sort of hiccups. Jongin tells her that he knows where his people are but he can’t move them anywhere unless it’s to a new planet that could suit their needs. Jihye nods and doesn’t ask anymore, obviously sensing the Daknae probably wouldn’t tell her.  
  
She brings out a medical form and slides it towards Jongin. “If everything you’re saying is true, then your people are in great danger. We’re going to do all that we can to help you as quick as possible. This is a form stating all of the necessary tests we will have to do. Bloodwork, tissue samples- the whole nine yards.” Jongin picks it up and looks at it with a frown. “There are a few other tests we’ll have to run on you as well. For example, we have to measure your oxygen intake levels as well as your ability to adjust to different temperatures. We have hundreds of planets on file so we’ll look at all of your test results and help narrow down a few options that could support a Daknae like yourself.”  
  
Kyungsoo hides his snicker behind his hand when he sees Jongin’s frown deepen even more. He probably hates tests like this. When he wipes the grin off his face, he speaks up. “And let me just say for the record that all of these tests will be destroyed as soon as we close up this case.” Jihye gives him a bewildered look. “The Daknae people are a very closed off culture and we should respect that.”  
  
Jongin gives him a grateful look from across the metal table they are sitting at, his eyes swirling with pinks and oranges. Kyungsoo just gives a small nod back, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Jihye, oblivious to the two’s obvious staring, looks at her notes. She reaches out and takes the medical form from in front of Jongin. “Well now, let’s try to get some of this information out of the way while you’re still here.”  
  
Jihye spends the next ten minutes or so asking typical questions like average life expectancy and such. Kyungsoo was on the verge of falling asleep sitting up when he felt a light kick from his shin. Kyungsoo jolts a bit and sees Jongin glaring at him as if saying _‘If I can’t sleep you can’t either’_. Kyungsoo just sighs, peaking at the next row of questions on the medical sheets. He blushes as he sees  _‘Relationships, Reproduction, and Sexual Drive’_.  
  
Jongin sends him a funny look but Kyungsoo just shakes his head. He swears he will strangle him if he says anything inappropriate. He just counts his blessings Minseok isn’t here to ask these questions.  
  
Jihye looks up at him after writing her notes on the Daknae’s medical chart. “So a few of these questions may seem a bit personal but bear with me, okay?” At Jongin’s nod, she continues. “What is a relationship between two Daknaes like? Are they very loving and emotional towards each other or are couples not a big deal in your culture?”  
  
Jongin leans back in his chair. “Between my people, we show acts of love or affection but not in the same way most cultures do. We still hold hands or hold each other’s physical selves- our bodies, but that’s it. Something like sex isn’t thought of as anything else but a method of reproduction since my people’s women have a very very high fertility rate. Even between males, sex is almost non-existent. Instead, we use the emotions displayed with our souls. I think I remember reading that humans have a saying, that the eyes are the window to the soul. For us, this is true.”  
  
Kyungsoo looks at him carefully, knowing exactly what the next question would be. “And what would you do if you were to couple with someone of another race? One with say, a higher sex drive?”  
  
Jongin sends Kyungsoo with a smug look, green and orange swirling together in his eyes. “Let’s just say my people are  _very_  good at adapting.” Kyungsoo feels himself blush to the roots of his hair, thanking whatever supernatural being out there that Jihye is too engrossed in writing Jongin’s answers down. Jongin just winks at him but looks at Jihye innocently when she raises her head to ask another question.  
  
The rest of the interview process goes by painfully slow because of all of the detail that had to go into the medical form, but after an hour or so, they’re finally done. Jihye tells Jongin she’ll have his tests scheduled for tomorrow and to just show up at the hospital ward when he can in the morning. Jongin agrees begrudgingly and both men bid the Private good bye.  
  
Kyungsoo stands beside the Daknae as they watch Jihye walk away, Jongin’s file in hand. He looks at Jongin to see he has an uneasy expression on his face, dull silver seeping into his eyes. Kyungsoo takes his hand into his own. “What’s wrong?”  
  
Jongin keeps staring ahead at the worker’s retreating figure. “I just feel like I’m betraying my people by doing this.”  
  
Kyungsoo stands in front of him so the Daknae tears his eyes from the now empty hallway to the Lead Commander’s dazzling smile. “I’m going to make sure none of this becomes public Jongin. I trust Jihye. She is very loyal and won’t tell anyone what we talked about in there. Now cheer up. Let’s go get something to eat before I have to go back to work.”  
  
Jongin rolls his eyes. “I swear all you ever do is eat. I read an article that if you’re not careful, whatever you eat will go straight to your thighs.”  
  
Kyungsoo glares at him. “Are you calling my thighs fat?”  
  
Jongin’s lips quirk into a smug half-smirk. “No, actually I’m very fond of your thighs. You should already know this.”  
  
Kyungsoo frowns at the twinkle in Jongin’s eye, forest green suffocating and overtaking any other color present. “I hate you sometimes. Come on, I’m hungry.” Jongin just chuckles and lets himself be dragged away.

 

~

  
  
  
The days pass by slowly. Jongin has been busy taking all of his tests and Kyungsoo’s been just as busy briefing his superiors on the Daknae’s situation. Of course, they try to ask more prying questions just as they did before, but Kyungsoo always deflects them. He’s told them no more than what’s in the report Jongin officially filed. At first they seemed a little hesitant to use their resources on helping Jongin since there was so little information they were being given about the matter, but General Tzastr went through the whole spiel about how this is exactly what the Intergalactic Peace Corps stands for. Usually Kyungsoo would have internally rolled his eyes at the other man’s ‘inspirational’ speech about how it’s their duty to stand by those in need, but right now he can’t help but to feel eternally grateful towards the old man.  
  
Because he got his superiors to come on board with him for this case, all of Jongin’s tests were expedited and the Lead Commander was given his test results only a couple days after the Daknae had taken them. From there, the Lead Commander and his team worked hard to configure a list of suitable planets to present to Jongin. Kyungsoo was surprised to see that the planet his father owned was one of seven that fitted best for Jongin’s people.  
  
He wasted no time and called his father to tell him he and a ‘friend’ were going to take a small vacation at their family planet. His father was unhappy to hear his son was just taking off and leaving work to spend time with a ‘friend’, but agreed anyway. Kyungsoo was ecstatic by the time he hung up the phone. His crew members around him grinned triumphantly, saying they’d organize a small ship now so they could leave in a few days. Kyungsoo readily agrees, about to get up and help them when Minseok puts a hand to his chest to stop him.  
  
He gives the Lead Commander a sorry look. “General Seokjin wants you to stay here when Jongin goes out to visit the potential planets.”  
  
Kyungsoo frowns. “But what if he gets in a skirmish with the Intergalactic Government Space Agency? Some of the planets we found are out by rebel territory. What if they think he’s a rebel again?”  
  
Minseok looks at him warily. “That’s why they’re sending Lead Commander Park to accompany him.”  
  
Kyungsoo blinks. Once. Twice. “ _What?!_ ”  
  
Minseok cringes at the intensity of his voice. “Okay Soo, I know what you’re thinking, but it won’t be so bad! Look at the brightside! Now you can focus on officially closing the case and even have a bit of downtime to yourself while Jongin’s off exploring the cosmos.”  
  
“Lead Commander Park almost got his entire ship blown up because he was keeling over at the sound of a warlord’s funny voice, Minseok.  _Where the fuck is the brightside in this?_ ”  
  
Minseok held up his hands. “Okay so he’s not the brightest star in the galaxy, but he’s still good at his job. He’ll take care of Jongin and our crew-”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes went wide in fury. “He’s taking our crew too?! Why can’t he take his own?!”  
  
“They all kind of went on vacation last week so he’s on his own. Plus our crew is familiar with Jongin and the little bits of Daknae culture he shared with us.”  
  
“That’s exactly why you and I should be going! Not Park!”  
  
Minseok gives him a helpless look. “I tried to argue about it Soo, but they wouldn’t listen to reason. They want us to stay here.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart is racing in frustration. This is so wrong. What if something happens and things go south real quick? That ship will be carrying precious cargo and they don’t even know it. If something happens to Jongin, the rest of his people are done for. The main fear for him, though, is the fact that he could possibly say goodbye to Jongin and never see him again. There is a war going on outside of these walls. Nowhere is safe anymore.  
  
He sighs dejectedly and Minseok puts his hand on his shoulder, giving a small squeeze. “He’ll be okay Kyungsoo. Just have faith in him.”  
  
He has faith in Jongin. It’s that asshole Park Chanyeol he can’t stand the thought of. In fact he’s pretty sure Jongin’s going to want to strangle him an hour into the flight. Kyungsoo feels that after just having to sit next to him in official meetings.  
  
Minseok gives him a smile. “I’ll see you later okay?  
  
Kyungsoo nods. “Yeah. See you.” Minseok walks away, leaving the Lead Commander to slump in his chair. He was really hoping to go with Jongin to this planet. He hopes the Daknae isn’t too disappointed about it.  
  
He gets up and cleans up, papers and holopads lie across the table in the research lab in a clumped mess. He grabs the holopad containing the list of planets for Jongin to look at and lays it aside so he can organize everything else. When he’s satisfied with the multiple neat piles he’s made, he calls it a day and heads back to his room. It’s a bit late and he missed dinner, but he doesn’t have an appetite now, especially when Lead Commander Park passed by him and waved enthusiastically. Kyungsoo just glared. He knows it’s childish of him, but he can’t help it. He’s still pretty miffed that his superiors would choose Park over  _him_.  
  
Eventually he makes his way to his room and is greeted by an anxious Jongin practically bouncing foot to foot. When Kyungsoo breaks the news that they have found a list of planets for Jongin to visit, the Daknae practically leaps in joy. He goes straight up to the Lead Commander and twirls him around. Kyungsoo giggled at how the orange in his eyes spread to the surrounding skin, sparking there with such a high intensity it almost looks like the color is literally coming out of his pores.   
  
He hates to be the bearer of bad news, but the moment Jongin starts talking about how great it will be with just the two of them and a few members of the crew, Kyungsoo stops him. He heaves a heavy sigh and looks down. “Jongin I can’t go with you.”  
  
Jongin gives him a hurt look. “But Kyungsoo-”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles sadly at him, reaching out and stroking his cheek. “My superiors want me to stay here and finish my work. They’ll be sending another Lead Commander to accompany you.”  
  
Jongin frowns. “But I want you to come with me.”  
  
Kyungsoo shrugs. “I can’t do anything about it, Jongin. Minseok already tried. I will call you every day though. You can tell me all about the planets you visit. I’d love to hear all about it.”  
  
Jongin groans, pulling him in by the waist. “That’s not the same, though,” he mumbles. They stand in silence for a bit before Jongin sighs. “How long will my trip be?”  
  
Kyungsoo swallows. He forgot about this part. “To visit all of the planets we found for you?” Jongin nods. “About three months or so. Time’s a little distorted out there. I promise you won’t come back to me and find an old man instead.”  
  
He tries to joke but Jongin doesn’t even release a chuckle. He stands there frozen, looking at Kyungsoo with such big puppy eyes that it makes Kyungsoo’s heart ache. More so than the thought of having Jongin away from him for so long. Jongin just pouts and hides his face in Kyungsoo’s neck. He sighs loudly and wraps his arms around Kyungsoo’s torso. The Lead Commander returns the hug, leaning his chin on the Daknae’s shoulder.  
  
“I guess this just means we’ll have to spend as much time together as we possibly can before I leave.” Jongin’s words are muffled against his neck, the vibrations tingling Kyungsoo’s throat.  
  
The smaller hums. “I have some leave built up so I’ll take tomorrow and the next day off. Minseok probably won’t mind. He’ll cover for me.”Jongin hugs him tighter, his shoulders tense. Kyungsoo rubs his hands up and down his back soothingly. “You’ll be fine Jongin. I know you will.” Jongin doesn’t answer. Instead, he just continues to bask in Kyungsoo’s honey sweet scent.

 

~

  
  
  
It’s the night before Jongin’s departure and Kyungsoo is currently standing in the bathroom listening to Jongin read him miscellaneous quotes from the book he borrowed from the library. He’s on the bed, propped up by some pillows and has Kyungsoo’s reading glasses on, having fun trying to make out the blurry words. Kyungsoo just rolls his eyes. “You’re going to get a headache, you idiot.”  
  
Jongin just ignores him and continues reading, drawing out the words like a kindergartener learning to read for the first time. Kyungsoo just wets his toothbrush and squishes his toothpaste onto the bristles. He hears Jongin giggle to himself out in the bedroom, smiling at the sound. It’s amazing how much he and Jongin have progressed over such a short time. Even Jongin has come out his shell, now eating with Kyungsoo’s crew members when the Lead Commander has to work late or even going and pestering Minseok when he’s bored and knows he can’t bother Kyungsoo. He tries to pinpoint exactly when they started coming around to each other and makes a face. It was the night Jongin trashed his room and he went to go sleep in the medical station.  
  
He spits out his toothpaste. “Hey Jongin?”  
  
“Yeah?” Jongin answers in Kyungsoo’s native language. Kyungsoo was teaching him a bit of Korean earlier that day. The Daknae can speak it just fine since Jongdae had apparently tried teaching it to him when he was younger, but for some reason he can’t quite grasp the characters just yet. Kyungsoo just smiles at the informality. ‘ _Cute_.’  
  
“I’m just curious. What made you finally come around and start opening up to me?” Kyungsoo continues brushing his teeth, watching Jongin from the doorway.  
  
The Daknae closes the book he was reading and takes off the lenses on his face, folding them and carefully putting them on the nightstand nearby. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I just remember being so angry at everything at the time- how I still didn’t know how to bring my people back, how I was stuck on a ship with people I thought just wanted me for my knowledge of my people- I took it out on your room after you left. It was afterwards that I realized how horrible I was being. I started thinking back to what Jongdae had told me when I left the former Dakartius, how he said that one day I would find someone that loved me and cared for me more than myself. It was then that I realized that I finally found that person.” He looked up at Kyungsoo. “I realized that you were the one that would actually take care of me. I felt horribly guilty after that and ran to the bathroom as soon as I heard you outside the door.”  
  
Kyungsoo hummed and turned around to spit out his toothpaste again, rinsing his mouth this time. He shuts the water off and Jongin continues. “I wasn’t exactly sure what to do when I got out of the shower either. I’m sorry I was still kind of an asshole at first.  
  
Kyungsoo snorts from the bathroom. “You’re always an asshole, I’m used to it,” he singsongs as he pats his mouth and chin dry with a towel. When he comes out, he sees Jongin giving him a judging face. Kyungsoo just cracks a grin and flops into bed next to him.  
  
Jongin stares down at him. “When you wouldn’t answer me back then, I felt like I used up all of my chances with you so I got angry again. But then you said that we needed a break to clear our heads or whatever. I got scared when you started talking about me staying in the room by myself. I thought you walking out that door would be the end. I stayed up all night. I knew the only thing I could do was try to go look for you but I was afraid the nurses would scream if I showed up at the medical station on my own, so I waited for you in the cafeteria.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles up at him. “You have no idea how relieved I was to see you in the cafeteria.”  
  
Jongin chuckles. “Yeah and then you shoved a banana down my throat. Should have seen the signs sooner.” He shakes his head in mock shame.  
  
Kyungsoo gives him a suspicious look. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“About how you seem to just  _love_  seeing your dick in my mouth.” Kyungsoo sputters and tries to hide under the covers. Why does he have to say it like that? Can a black hole just swallow him up now?  
  
Jongin laugh rings loudly, the sound high pitched and weird, but music to Kyungsoo’s ears. He pulls at the covers but Kyungsoo whines and refuses to come out. Jongin seems to get an idea and ducks under the covers as well. He cuddles up to the Lead Commander despite the fact he’s trying to crawl away. Kyungsoo just laughs and Jongin does too, both of them listening to the sound of each other’s breathing.  
  
Kyungsoo moves his head slightly to get a glimpse of Jongin’s eyes, seeing swirls of orange and pinks mixing together beautifully, the skin around his eyes sparking a familiar peach color.  
  
Kyungsoo stares at them, mesmerized. “Jongin?” he asks softly, afraid that if he speaks too loudly he’ll ruin the comfortable atmosphere surrounding them.  
  
“Yeah Hyung?”  
  
“What do each of the colors in your eyes mean?”  
  
Jongin hums, thinking. “Green is the color for playfulness. Fun. Teasing.”  
  
“Blue is the color for anger. Frustration. Disgust.”  
  
“Purple is for fear. Severe anxiousness. Like you’re scared out of your mind.” Kyungsoo thinks he’s only seen purple in Jongin’s eyes once since they met. The color was a deep amethyst and only showed itself for a few seconds before fading away. He guesses it must be an extreme emotion.  
  
“Amber is for worry. Distress. Panic. It’s not as severe as purple though. It’s more of a step under it.”

"Silver is for guilt. Sadness. Depressed."  
  
Kyungsoo nods slightly to show he’s listening. “Orange?”  
  
Jongin smiles, drinking in all of Kyungsoo’s features. “Orange is happiness. Relaxation. Content.”  
  
Kyungsoo bites his lip. “And pink?  
  
A wide smirk grows across his face. He crawls on top of him and kisses him deeply, the human closing his eyes immediately and kissing back. The kiss is too short for his liking, a soft popping sound ringing in his ears when Jongin disconnects their lips. “What do you think, my dear Lead Commander?”  
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open to see Jongin’s hooded gaze. Pinks and peaches swirling together and glowing vibrantly, the skin around his eyes sparking like it’s always done when they get into a position like this. Jongin leans down again, this time swiping his tongue in and brushing it against the room of his mouth. Jongin cups his face delicately, lovingly.  
  
Pink.  
  
Love. Passion. Want. Need.

 

~

 

  
Jongin grabs Kyungsoo’s hand and stares at it, tracing the lines on his palm. Kyungsoo sighs at the feeling. Jongin brings his hand to his mouth and gently kisses the knuckles, Kyungsoo’s feeling like his heart’s going to burst out of his chest at the gentle act. “I wish my eyes changed like yours, because they would be glowing with that same peach color that you have right now.”  
  
Tonight was different from the last couple times they had sex. Tonight they made love. They took their time, just simply feeling each other and enjoying being so intimate again. It wasn’t about finishing quickly, Kyungsoo didn’t even focus on the pleasure. All he could look at was Jongin above him, holding him so sweetly and delicately, kissing him so lovingly.  
  
Kyungsoo’s had plenty of sex before but it never felt this special, like the start of something new and utterly beautiful. Kyungsoo inwardly cringes. Someone slap him now. He refuses to become a cheesy romantic. He’ll never hear the end of it from Minseok if he ever finds out.  
  
Jongin’s entire face seems to brighten, giving Kyungsoo a dazzling smile. “So I’m doing well then? Proving myself to you? You wouldn't believe how many articles and books I’ve read on human behavioral patterns just so I could seem normal to you.”  
  
Kyungsoo pulls him in close and kisses the crown of his head. “You’re doing wonderful Jongin. You take really great care of me.”  
  
Jongin hums in contentment and buries his face into Kyungsoo’s collarbone, contradicting his previous words because the Lead Commander is pretty sure he has never met any human in his life that liked to bury their face in someone's neck this much. But that’s okay. It just adds to Kyungsoo’s long list of ‘ _Just Jongin Things’_ , right next to refusing to wear socks. Kyungsoo’ll never understand the other’s aversion to wearing them. Whenever he tries to give them to him, Jongin just gives him a pointed look. Needless to say he always loses that battle.  
  
Kyungsoo plays with his hair. “You know Jongin, for us to work, I need to know about you too. I don't want you going through all these changes just for me while I sit here and do nothing in return.” Kyungsoo feels the Daknae’s eyelashes caress his skin as they flutter open. “How does a Daknae show affection?”  
  
“Actually, we aren't all that different from humans to be honest, so trust me when I say I’m not going through too many changes. We like a lot of physical touch, but sex isn't really held that high. Usually we use our emotions in our eyes to show affection. If your partner’s eyes glow or spark certain colors, it means they deeply care for you. It’s like our way of professing our love each time.” Jongin draws small patterns on Kyungsoo’s bare stomach. “Honestly I think humans would have less messy relationships if they were like Daknaes. They would know exactly what everyone is feeling instead of trying to rely on complicated body language or tone of voice. People say things they don't mean but a Daknae’s eyes will always show their emotions pouring from their heart.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”  
  
They both sit in silence, the atmosphere suddenly shifting. Jongin sighs, his breath tickling his neck. “I’m going to miss you.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart aches a bit and he feels a tight sensation in his chest. “I’m going to miss you too.” Jongin gives him a sad look. “Just be careful out there. There’s a few planets that are close to the rebellion and the Intergalactic Government Space Agency is always looking for someone to imprison, but you know that already.”  
  
Jongin’s lips purse. “I actually was involved in the rebellion for a short time. They were the ones who taught me how to make a bomb.”  
  
Kyungsoo facepalms. “Why would you tell me that? Oh my God. I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that because I’d have to report you to my superiors.”  
  
Jongin laughs and drapes his arm across his chest, his head resting just above his heart. “You wouldn’t report me. Who else is going to satisfy your needy ass?” Kyungsoo snorts. “But I promise I’ll be careful out there.”  
  
Kyungsoo kisses his head, his lips coming in contact with his soft hair. “Let’s sleep now. We have to get up early tomorrow.”  
  
Jongin makes a deep, longing noise in the back of his throat but says nothing else. Kyungsoo plays with his hair for the next hour to try to put him to sleep since traveling does take a lot out of a person, but he still feels Jongin’s long eyelashes blinking against his bare chest.  
  
Neither of them sleep that night.

 

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

 

 

 

“You have everything packed?”  
  
“Yup.”  
  
“And you remember the emergency procedures I told you about?”  
  
“Uh huh.”  
  
“Make sure you eat while you're out there. You may feel a bit sick at first but that’s just because the ship is smaller than mine.”  
  
Jongin rolls his eyes. “Yes, mom. I’ll make sure I eat.”  
  
Kyungsoo wacks his arm, but laughs anyway. He gives Jongin a tiny smile. “Be safe out there.”  
  
Jongin hugs him, a warm smile spreading on his face. “You stay safe here too.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods. “I will.”  
  
Jongin stares at him for a few moments before leaning in to give him a chaste kiss. Kyungsoo feels his toes curl at the warm feeling spreading in his chest. He tries to give Jongin the brightest smile he can muster. “I’ll see you soon.”  
  
Jongin’s about to respond, but he’s interrupted by an obnoxious gasp. They both turn to see Lead Commander Park standing there with a shocked face.  
  
“You two are together?! Oh man Jognog you’re going to have to tell me all about this on the way to the first planet! I’ve never seen anyone tame  _the_  Do Kyungsoo.  
  
Jongin and Kyungsoo share a dark look.  
  
“My name’s Jongin.”  
  
“And what the fuck do you mean tamed? Am I some sort of fucking lion?”  
  
Chanyeol laughs loudly and slaps his knee. “I don’t know what a lion is but I’m sure you’d look cute as one. Okay well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” The other Lead Commander stalks off to the small ship waiting a few feet from them.  
  
Kyungsoo frowns. “Try not to beat him up too much.”  
  
Jongin gives him a pointed look. “No promises.” He kisses Kyungsoo’s forehead. “See you soon, Hyung.” Despite the sadness of having to leave Kyungsoo behind, he can see orange swirls curling at the very edge of his irises. Kyungsoo chuckles because he’s sure Jongin is beyond excited for this trip.  
  
Kyungsoo nods. “Yeah. See you soon.” With that, Jongin turns and shuffles his way into the ship, turning around and waving at him one more time before he disappears around the corner. The ship hums a few seconds later and the door closes. Kyungsoo watches from his spot in the ship hangar as Jongin’s spacecraft leaves. He watches until it’s but a dot in the distance, sighing to himself when he sees a bright flash, signalling they jumped to lightspeed.

 

~

  
  
  
Two and a half months go by and Kyungsoo misses the Daknae like crazy. They try to call each other often, but usually can only use their wrist monitors and not a video camera because Chanyeol apparently  _broke the damn thing_. At least Kyungsoo gets to hear his voice though. Jongin rambles on and on about the planets they visit, telling him all about the strange animals he saw and about how beautiful some of the planets were.  
  
They try to talk to each other almost every day but once Jongin reaches the farther end of the galaxy, they lost the signal. A week of hearing nothing went by and Kyungsoo would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried sick. He was relieved, though, when he remembered that it’s much safer on the outskirts since most of the fighting goes on towards the middle where solar systems are more clustered together.  
  
When he did hear from Jongin though, the Dakane just sounded  _so happy_  and excitedly told him “I think this is the one Soo.” Kyungsoo’s glad Jongin finally found the right planet and he’s even more ecstatic to know they would be returning late that night. At the same time, though, Kyungsoo feels immense guilt when he prepares a warrant of seizure in advance since he knows he’ll have to forcibly take away his father’s property since the old man probably won't give it up without a fight. This way is just faster so they can work on bringing Jongin’s people back. He’ll be fine if his father never forgives him. He never liked the man anyway.  
  
Other than that, Kyungsoo really hasn't done much since Jongin left. He can’t really work on his case since there’s nothing to figure out about the Daknae people anymore. Instead, he’s been consulting on others’ cases to try and help them along. He gives the occasional lecture to visiting students who wish to become a part of the Intergalactic Peace Corps one day.  
  
He has way too much free time now and it’s driving him insane. He tries to spend as much of it as possible with Minseok, but the other male was tasked with a minor case and has been extremely busy with that. Kyungsoo pops in every once and a while to help him, but for the most part just stays in his room.  
  
He has to admit that coming home to an empty room and a cold bed hurts more than he remembered. It took him a couple weeks to stop thinking that Jongin would just pop out of nowhere and attack him with kisses like he used to. It’s almost crazy how important Jongin has become to his heart. He makes a deal with himself to definitely tell the Daknae this when he returns.  
  
Now Kyungsoo tries to busy himself until Jongin is supposed to return home. The Daknae said that he would meet Kyungsoo in his room because “ _I fucking hate Park Chanyeol and I don’t want him catcalling when I fucking kiss you._ ” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to chuckle at that, readily agreeing. So here he is, cleaning his room and sitting area like a madman. It’s not that the room was even dirty to begin with, he just needs to keep his hands busy and he knows Minseok will probably slap him if he goes to bother him.  
  
Kyungsoo brings out out two velvet boxes from his room and sets them on the table in front of the loveseat. Recently, Kyungsoo went to a trading station to look for a gift for Jongin. He knew the Daknae was aware of Kyungsoo’s feelings toward him, but Kyungsoo still felt bad he couldn’t return his feelings like a Daknae would. He searched and searched until he found them: matching necklaces with a gold chain. He’s told by the shop owner that the gems are of a rare material from a now destroyed planet. Kyungsoo was absolutely mesmerized by the glowing color, it being almost exactly like the pale peach Jongin’s eyes become when he’s around the Lead Commander. He bought both of them without hesitation and didn’t even blink at the obnoxious numbers. It’s for Jongin, who cares about the price.  
  
He’s just about to start cleaning his bathroom when he hears his door swoosh open but he hears two voices step inside. He pops his head out of his bedroom and sees Jongin and Minseok talking adamantly about something. He steps out and clears his throat, making both men look at him.  
  
Minseok gives him a judging stare and points to his long t-shirt and sweat pants. “That’s all he ever wears now. He can barely even properly put on his uniform anymore. I always have to fix his badges before inspection.”  
  
Jongin laughs and Kyungsoo feels his chest ache because he’s missed the sound so much. He looks at Kyungsoo with a loving gaze. “Hey, Hyung.”  
  
Kyungsoo gives a meek ‘hey’ and shuffles in his spot, not sure if he can run up and kiss Jongin or not considering Minseok is just standing there watching them like a hawk. Jongin seems to be in the same boat, a little wary of the Lieutenant's presence beside him.  
  
Minseok rolls his eyes. “Oh just kiss already. This is so painful to watch.”  
  
Kyungsoo slits a glare at his best friend and walks up to Jongin, spreading his arms and embracing him in a tight hug. Jongin chuckles and hugs him back, pulling away enough to tip Kyungsoo’s chin upwards. He presses a few chaste kisses on his plush lips, the feeling pulling smiles from them both.  
  
Minseok snorts from the sidelines and they both turn to look at him. “You two are so fucking cute it’s disgusting. I approve.”  
  
Kyungsoo flicks him off and then looks to Jongin. “You’re back early. It’s only a few hours past dinner.”  
  
Jongin gives him a tight smile. “Lead Commander Park forgot to set the correct coordinates for the research facility before going under stasis. Let’s just say, we arrived right at the entrance to the ship hangar.”  
  
Kyungsoo feels anger boil in his blood but he takes a deep sigh, closing his eyes and willing his racing heart to calm down. Getting pissed off at Chanyeol won’t do anything. It’s over and done with. Jongin’s home now so that’s all that counts. He opens his eyes and gives Jongin a sympathetic look. “I don’t know how you survived being with him for two and a half months.”  
  
“Sleeping sedatives and ear plugs.”  
  
Minseok and Kyungsoo chuckled at that. That reminds him- “Minseok why are you here?”  
  
Minseok gives him a look. “Can I not come and see my best friend whenever I want to?”  
  
“Two hours ago you told me to get the fuck away from you and go be clingy somewhere else.”  
  
The Lieutenant pursed his lips. “Oh yeah.” He shrugs. “To be honest I came here to get you because you have a visitor.”  
  
Kyungsoo blinks. “Who?”  
  
Minseok shrugs. “I don’t know. General Seokjin told me to pass the message along to you. He said it was really important so hurry up.”  
  
Kyungsoo sighs and goes to get changed, Jongin giving him a light pat on the butt as he walks away. He squeaks and runs to his room. As he pulls on his uniform jacket and trousers, he frowns. So much for him and Jongin having alone time together.

 

~

  
  
“I can’t fucking believe it.”  
  
Minseok elbows him subtly. “Language, Lead Commander.”  
  
Kyungsoo grumbles but doesn’t say anything else. Jongin is standing next to him equally as bewildered as Kim Jongdae approaches them from the other end of the public deck, a sly smile on his face. His very  _young_  face, if Kyungsoo might add. Standing in front of them, is the same time traveler that started this whole case. Only instead of the fragile, elderly man he had once met in the interrogation room, a handsome young man with striking features and fluffy brown hair now stood before him. He can’t be any older than Kyungsoo.  
  
“Hello. You must be Lead Commander Do and Kim Jongin.” Both men in question gape at him.  
  
“You don’t... know me?” Jongin asks softly.  
  
Jongdae gives a light ‘ah’ of understanding. “So we’ve met before. Sorry. I really don’t keep myself in the loop with these things. I guess you met me from the future?” The three men blink at him, perplexed. “You see, I tend to send directions to myself, telling me where to travel to, or should I say  _when_  to travel to.” He gives a snort at his own joke before continuing. “So the me you’re seeing now has never met either of you yet.”  
  
The Lead Commander puts a hand to his head. He can already feel a headache coming on. He does narrows his eyes at the time traveler though, when he remembers the whole story Jongdae gave as an eyewitness statement, pretending to not know a thing. “You son of a bitch.”  
  
“Lead Commander!” Minseok chides from the sidelines but Kyungsoo ignores him.  
  
Jongdae puts his hands up in defense. “Aye, you can’t hold me accountable for something I haven’t done yet.”  
  
“Is that why your future self sent you? Because he knew he lied to me?”  
  
Jongdae shrugs. “Probably. All I know is that I like to meet my friends for the first time when they have already met me long beforehand.”  
  
Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. “That seems like it would get terribly confusing.”  
  
Jongdae chuckles. “Saves me from the whole worrying if I can trust them thing.” He looks at Jongin. “The truth is that I’m actually here to talk to you.”  
  
Jongin points at himself. “Me?”  
  
The time traveler nods. “I’m about to go to your old planet in a few minutes and save your people from mass extinction. Any tips you want to give me before I dive right into this? My future self was pretty vague about the whole thing.”  
  
Jongin blinks, momentarily taken back. Kyungsoo sees silver and amber mixing together in his irises. His eyes dart around as he tries to think quickly. Breathlessly, he looks at Jongdae and says “My people are in a lot of pain, so be cautious when you approach them. They may lash out at you if you’re not careful. They also won’t be able to communicate with you until you kiss them so don’t freak out when they try.” He pauses. “And when you and Jongin leave the planet, make sure to tell him he has a future. That his life doesn’t have to be what he thought it was.”  
  
Jongin licks his lips and glances at Kyungsoo. “Tell him one day he’ll be loved and cherished, that he’ll have someone that cares more about him than himself. Tell him that he won’t have to worry about being the Traveler soon enough.”  
  
Jongdae gives him a soft smile. “I can do that.”  
  
Just as Jongdae is about to leave Jongin grabs his wrist, and gives him a menacing glare. “And don’t you dare give him that food that has been sitting in the cockpit of your ship for supposedly three weeks just because you don't want to waste it and he looks hungry. Eat it yourself you goddamn prick.”  
  
Jongdae’s grin widens, a maniacal twinkle appearing in his eyes. “Well now that you’ve told me, it has to happen. We don’t want a ripple in time space continuum now do we?” he singsongs.  
  
Jongin gets a horrified look as the time traveler stalks away. Kyungsoo puts a hand on his lower back. “Are you okay?”  
  
“It was me who made him do it. Fuck- I was vomiting for days after eating that shit. All I remember was him telling me that I had to do it or the universe would fall apart- fuck I hate time travel.”  
  
Kyungsoo snorts and pats his head, Minseok chuckling beside them as well. “Come on Jongin, let’s get back to our room. I’m sure you’ve had a long day.” He gives a wave at Minseok. “We’ll see you in the morning. We’ll all have to come up with a plan of action now that Jongin chose a planet.”  
  
Minseok nods and then wiggles his eyebrows. “Have fun you two.”  
  
Kyungsoo rubs his face harshly when the Lieutenant walks away. He swears he would punch his best friend if he knew he wouldn’t break his hand trying. Jongin reaches for his hand, pulling him out of his thoughts. The Daknae is giving him a loving look. “Let’s go.”  
  
Jongin drags him down the hallway, never letting go of his hand even when other crew members walk by and welcome him back. They all just give sly looks to their Lead Commander, making him flush a bright red in embarrassment. Any other time, Kyungsoo probably would have scolded Jongin for such an obvious display of affection but he missed the Daknae so much these last couple of months that he lets it slide.  
  
They enter their room and as soon as the door slides shut, Jongin attacks his lips. He sucks on the bottom lip softly, Kyungsoo closing his eyes and basking in the feeling of Jongin’s lips moving against his own. He tangles his fingers in his hair, pulling slightly. Jongin definitely needs a haircut soon. It’s grown a lot since he left.  
  
Jongin puts his hands on his waist and starts to pepper kisses from the corner of his mouth and across his cheeks, his lips also pressing against the bridge of his nose and to the middle of his forehead. The Lead Commander giggles quietly at the ticklish feeling. When Jongin pulls back to smile down at him, his eyes sparking that lovely peach Kyungsoo has grown to love so much, he remembers something.  
  
“Oh I got something for you.”  
  
Jongin tilts his head. “A gift?”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles brightly and leads him over to the loveseat, pushing him so he sits down. Kyungsoo sits beside him and grabs the small jewelry boxes sitting on the table. He hands them to Jongin and licks his lips nervously.  
  
Jongin opens the box carefully, letting out a gentle gasp as soon as he sees the glowing gem inside. He lifts the necklace and holds it to his face, his eyes wide and filled with amazement. The gold chain shimmers from the artificial lights in the room, the gem itself hanging from a pendant in the middle. “Kyungsoo it’s beautiful.”  
  
The Lead Commander scratches the back of his neck. “I wanted to get you something that I knew would mean something to you. I still feel guilty that I can’t show my feelings toward you like your people can. I know you say it’s fine but it’s not. I saw these and thought of the color your eyes turn when we’re together. I bought two of them so we could-uh. Wear them together.”  
  
Jongin gives him a teasing grin. “You bought us couple necklaces?”  
  
“Shut up! It’s supposed to be romantic.”  
  
Jongin laughs and puts the necklace on, the chain reaching a few centimeters from his collarbone. He looks down at the pendant glowing elegantly against his clothes. “I really love it Kyungsoo. Thank you.”  
  
Kyungsoo blushes and fiddles with the other box. “It’s supposed to be a symbol of my feelings for you. Since you left I was going crazy. I barely slept the first week and I was a mess at work. It really showed me just how much you mean to me Jongin, so I decided this would be the perfect thing to express that.” He brings out his own necklace and holds the gem in his palm. “Now whenever you look at me, I can show you that same beautiful color your eyes always change to. It may not be the same, my eyes will always stay the same dark brown, but I just wanted to try and show you how I feel in the same way a Daknae would show their lover.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart is pounding, scared to be possibly rejected. He’s surprised, though, when Jongin clasps his hands over Kyungsoo’s, the necklace still in his palm. His eyes slightly dewy and glazed. “This is one of the best gifts you could ever give me.” He pauses, his voice wobbly, and smiles softly. “I love you. So much.”  
  
The Lead Commander has tears pricking in his own eyes, his heart soaring at the confession. “I love you too, Jongin. I really really do.”  
  
They kiss passionately, lips moving sweetly, only pulling away when Jongin goes to put the necklace around Kyungsoo’s neck. He holds the pendant between his thumb and index finger, staring at it before shifting his gaze up to Kyungsoo. Jongin climbs in his lap, back and neck hunching so he can bend down to kiss Kyungsoo, who is now leaning back comfortably on the cushions. There are countless whispers exchanged between the two as they continue to feel each other’s bodies like it was the first time. Soon the room is filled with heavy pants and soft moans, neither of them in any sort of hurry and just enjoying each other’s presence.

 

~

  
  
  
Now that Jongin had officially chosen the planet to bring his people to, everyone was busy preparing the SS-Pytheas for the trip there. They all agreed it would be best if they came so they could at least help create shelters and bring enough food supplies so that the Daknae people can have a smooth transition into their new home. Kyungsoo knows curiosity is practically dripping from everyone since they aren’t entirely sure how Jongin is going to bring his people to the new planet, but Kyungsoo assures them not to worry about it. They usually give him suspicious looks but don’t ask any further than that, to which he’s really grateful because Jongin will get really upset at him if he says anything.  
  
Earlier this morning Kyungsoo had to do the honors of video calling his father in front of the Lead Commander’s superiors and tell him that they have a warrant of seizure for planet KA-3409. He, of course, did not take it that well and proceeded to curse out his own son about stealing from his own family, his mother yelling at her husband to stop when he said that he would disown Kyungsoo if he went through with this. Kyungsoo just rolled his eyes. His father could be so damn dramatic sometimes.  
  
After a lot of kicking and screaming, his father finally agreed to hand over the necessary paperwork. Kyungsoo spent the next hour stamping the seal of the Intergalactic Peace Corps on all of the documents once they arrived on his holopad. When everything had been filled out and ready, Kyungsoo headed to his ship in the hangar at the very bottom of the research facility. The entire area was buzzing with life, Kyungsoo’s crew running back and forth frantically since they would be leaving soon. The Lead Commander spots Jongin helping carry a few boxes into to ship. He smiles at the ecstatic look on his face. He can’t even imagine the excitement the Daknae’s feeling at the moment.  
  
The past few days Jongin’s been appearing and disappearing. He tells Kyungsoo that he’s been running through the maze and herding all of his people together. Kyungsoo remembers the first time he saw Jongin teleport. He nearly shrieked at the the sight of an ominous black tear swallowing Jongin up almost instantly, the ripping sound leaving as quickly as it came. Needless to say, the Lead Commander never likes to be in the room when Jongin teleports. It’s just too creepy for him to watch each time.  
  
Kyungsoo steps into the boarding deck of the ship and begins his long trek up to the flight deck. He told all of his crew to just go ahead and prepare for stasis as soon as they were ready to leave since they would be jumping to lightspeed the moment they clear the sector. He and Jongin have a plan to just stay out of stasis the whole time since neither of them are affected by it. Kyungsoo figures he can at least help Jongin herd his people into one place since says they tend to wander away when he tries to go looking for others in the maze. Even though the Lead Commander really doesn’t like the idea of returning to that creepy place, he also wants to check the Daknae people’s vitals and compare them with Jongin’s. Jongin had said he wasn’t sure if they were still sick or not, so Kyungsoo wants to see if he can tell.  
  
Minseok is waiting for him at one of the elevators, dictating where the others should put the cargo. Kyungsoo just pats his shoulder. “Just let them do it. They’re almost done anyway.”  
  
Minseok makes a disgruntled face but agrees, entering the elevator with Kyungsoo in tow. They reach the flight deck in minutes and the moment Kyungsoo steps out everyone greets him and gives a small salute. There is only a small amount of people in here for now, the others are all of preparing for stasis in their rooms. Kyungsoo isn’t here to do much, mostly just check for any possible complications along the way and to speak with the navigational team about their trajectory. When everything looks good, Kyungsoo tells them to give the announcement for takeoff.  
  
While the Lead Commander and the Lieutenant busy themselves with starting up the ship’s engines, everyone else on deck is dismissed to go to their respective rooms. As soon as the ship leaves the hangar, Kyungsoo makes the second announcement, warning about the jump to lightspeed in approximately ten minutes. He looks at Minseok and jerks his head towards the elevators.  
  
“Go ahead. I’ll make sure she’s ready to jump.”  
  
Minseok narrows his eyes in suspicion. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for stasis as well?”  
  
Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Jongin and I are going to-” he cuts himself off, forgetting Minseok couldn’t know, “-do stuff. We’re going to do stuff, yeah.”  
  
Minseok snorts. “Very eloquent Kyungsoo.”  
  
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes when the other misinterprets his words. “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”  
  
Minseok just shrugs, walking to the elevator. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s face heats up as he sighs. He’s never going to catch a break.  
  
He looks to the controls and punches in the directions for lightspeed, double checking everything to make sure they would arrive at their destination safely. He sets the timer to activate lightspeed when he notices five minutes have gone by since his announcement. He pushes the necessary buttons for the ship go into autopilot when he leaves.  
  
He makes his way to his room, passing through the basically abandoned hallways, the only sounds being the clicking of his boots on the metal floor. He gives his title to his security system at his door when he approaches it, it sliding open a few seconds afterwards. Jongin is on the other side, perched on his bed. His eyes are alive with ambers and oranges as he grins at Kyungsoo.  
  
“Ready?”  
  
Kyungsoo nods, grabbing on tight to him. “Ready.”  
  
The Lead Commander holds his breath as the air shifts and a familiar tearing sound fills his ears, he and Jongin falling into darkness for the briefest of moments.

 

~

 

Jongin’s people had been mostly healthy when compared with Jongin’s medical chart. Their blood pressure seemed normal, heart rates all checked out. Jongin thinks that the few elderly that are mixed within the bunch may still be sick, but there’s no exact way to know. Kyungsoo’s just relieved that most of them are still okay despite being in this place for so long.  
  
Once Jongin rounded everyone up, he and Kyungsoo sat at the entrance to the open area to redirect anyone that tried to try to shuffle out. After a while, though, they had to return to the ship since they would exit lightspeed soon. Jongin leaves his people one last time, giving them a determined look just before teleporting back. Once they return, they set to work. They unload a few of the boxes of building materials and place them closer to the exit of the ship, the area that lowers and becomes a ramp once they land.  
  
Slowly, others start showing up to help them. Many of the stasis chambers have already receded since they have officially arrived at KA-3409 and are now orbiting it until the rest of the flight crew wakes up. Until then, though, there is plenty to do. Jongin lightly shoves him towards the elevators, though, telling him to just go to the flight deck and start the process for them to descend, that he and the rest of the crew can handle this. Kyungsoo’s crew nods enthusiastically at him, seemingly just as excited as Jongin. The Lead Commander just chuckles and gives in, leaving the others to handle moving the cargo by themselves.  
  
He goes up to the main flight deck, pleasantly surprised to see Minseok already there. The Lieutenant smirks at him. “So how did ‘doing stuff’ go?”  
  
Kyungsoo sputters and slapps Minseok upside the head, uncaring about how inappropriate it looks since they’re still in uniform. “Shut up and help me land. I think Jongin’s going to burst if we don’t get him down there soon.”  
  
Minseok chuckles. “It’s good that he’s so excited.” He presses a few buttons to take the ship off autopilot and when everyone is accounted for on deck, they begin their descent into the small planet’s atmosphere.  
  
Landing is a lot easier said than done in Kyungsoo’s books. He’s perfectly fine with landing in narrow ship hangars or even attaching to bases with outside boarding, the slots there to hold the ship a lot narrower and less stationary since the base may be orbiting some sort of planet or moon. But he’s horrible at landing on the actual  _ground_. Even during his brief time in flight school, he always failed the simulations, crashing the computer generated ship each and everytime. So you can imagine how surprised he was when he lands without any sort of hiccups, the ship barely jerking when the landing gear hits the ground. He grins triumphantly and brings his fist up in glee, ignoring the amused stares of his crew around him.  
  
Everyone rushes to the doors to exit the ship. The cargo door lowers and everyone piles out, each person carrying some sort of building material and some forming groups to carry the food and water supply boxes together. Kyungsoo is currently carrying a few bags of tools, surveying the area with Jongin to pick the best spot to build. In the end, they both agree the best spot would be on top of the hill next to where they landed. He relays this to his crew members, some of them letting out a playful groan at the fact they’d have to drag everything up the hill but doing it anyway. Kyungsoo chuckles at their behavior and goes to start walking up the hill. He stops, though, when he notices Jongin doesn’t move.  
  
He gives him a concerned look. “Jongin?”  
  
The Daknae swallows thickly, his eyes swirling with amber and small streaks of amethyst. “I’m going to start bringing them back now,” he says lowly.  
  
“Are you sure we shouldn’t wait until the shelters are built?”  
  
Jongin shakes his head. “I can only bring one person at a time so it’s going to take some time.” He gives Kyungsoo a wary look. “I’m going to go find a spot a little ways away from here so no one will see me. I’ll be back soon.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods, standing on his tip toes to give him a small kiss at the corner of his mouth. “We’ll be here waiting for you all.”  
  
It feels weird thinking that Jongin would be bringing all his people with him the next time he comes back. Kyungsoo’s both nervous and excited to officially meet them. Maybe they’ll be more accepting than Jongin was when  _they_  had first met. He’s a bit worried it’s going to be that way though and as he watches Jongin walk into a nearby treeline, he silently prays Jongin won’t have to take the brunt of their anger if they lash out.

 

~

  
  
  
Kyungsoo’s in the middle of hammering a wall to one of the small shelters he and his crew had been making for the past four hours when he spots movement in the corner of his eye. He glances to his left to see a whole mass of people coming up the hill they were building on. When he squints his eyes, he can make out Jongin leading them. It’s a small group, no more than fifty. Which is good news to him considering they only have enough materials to house sixty. He drops his hammer and wipes off his hands on the t-shirt he changed into so he could move around better. He’s a little embarrassed he’s meeting with the Daknae people for the first time and he looks like such a mess. His hair is matted to his forehead from sweat but when he looks at Minseok standing next to him, he’s in no better shape.  
  
The sounds of hammering and conversations all die down the moment Jongin comes closer, he and his people stopping to look around at everyone. Kyungsoo holds his breath, suddenly becoming extremely anxious once one of the cloaked figures pulls his hood down.  
  
Kyungsoo’s mildly surprised when he sees an elderly looking man glaring at them all, ice blue eyes glowing as he snarls. His skin is wrinkled but still seems to have a healthy glow to it. His skin is not nearly as tan as Jongin’s - it’s paler like Kyungsoo’s- but it has a nice tint to it. His hair isn’t wiry, like a human’s would be at his age. In fact, it looks just as soft as Jongin’s. The biggest difference he sees, though, is the granite grey streak running diagonally across his face.  
  
The elder looks to Jongin next to him and goes to raise a hand to strike. Even from this distance Kyungsoo can see Jongin’s eyes flash amethyst as he cowers.  
  
“No!” Kyungsoo shouts the moment he sees the elder’s hand come down to hit Jongin across the face. The man startles, holding his hand in midair as he looks to Kyungsoo questionably. The Lead Commander runs over and shields Jongin with his body.  
  
“Kyungsoo stop, go back. He might hurt you! He might-” Jongin’s frantically rambling behind him, but Kyungsoo just shakes his head.  
  
“He’s not going to lay another finger on you. Not after you just saved his life. I won’t allow it.”  
  
The elder watches the two carefully, gaze calculating. He stares at the necklace glowing on Kyungsoo’s neck and then glares at Jongin. He lets out a series of noises, the words sounding foreign to Kyungsoo’s ears. He glances back at Jongin, who has his face scrunched up and eyebrows furrowed like he’s trying hard to understand what his fellow Daknae is saying. It  _has_  been a little over a decade since he’s spoken this language.  
  
Eventually, Jongin responds back. Kyungsoo just watches as the elder's eyes swirl with different colors as Jongin speaks. First from blue to silver, then from silver to amber. He glances at Kyungsoo, the only thing giving away his nervousness is the sparking amber at the corner of his eyes.  
  
Jongin gestures to Kyungsoo as he speaks, then he gestures to the rest of his crew as they stand there watching the scene play out in front of them. Kyungsoo gives the elder and the others behind him a kind smile to show he means no harm.  
  
For a few moments, there is a tense silence. Kyungsoo’s crew awkwardly stand there with their tools in hand, not moving. The elder looks at them all cautiously, unmoving. Jongin is gripping the back of his shirt so hard, the Lead Commander swears it’s going to rip. Just as he’s going to say something, he’s cut off by a loud whacking sound. Everyone’s head snaps towards Minseok, who in midst of all this, decided he would get back to work.  
  
He stops for a moment and gives everyone a weird look. “What? We can’t just sit here and stare at each other all day. We’re losing daylight.”  
  
Kyungsoo rubs his temples. He swears Minseok is both a curse and a blessing sometimes. Kyungsoo’s crew, though, seem to silently agree and all set back to work. The sound of hammers and saws fill the area again like nothing even happened. Kyungsoo smiles at them all thankfully before turning back to the elder Daknae. He was looking at them all, obviously perplexed like he was wondering why they would even help his people like this.  
  
“It’s our duty to help those in need,” Kyungsoo says softly, the elder’s head jerking to look at him. Jongin translates his words quietly so he can understand. Some of the other Daknaes remove their hoods as well, looking around at all of the shelters Kyungsoo’s people had built.  
  
Kyungsoo gasps because they’re all so beautiful and ethereal, their features just so perfect and flawless. They cautiously walk towards Kyungsoo, their heads tilting this way and that. The Lead Commander looks to Jongin for an answer and sees him smiling. “They’re trying to figure out why you look like a Daknae.”  
  
Kyungsoo blinks but then laughs, the thought absurd in his mind. To him, they look human. He gives them a warm smile, though, and offers one of them his hand. The elder stares intensely at him as a little girl steps forward and takes it, her palm small and dainty in his own. He looks to the others and gestures them to follow him, walking with the girl beside him. He assumes when Jongin speaks, he’s telling them to go with him.  
  
They all hesitantly follow, looking like some sort of large group of frightened deer. Kyungsoo brings them over to a shelter where Private Jihye and Yuna are working on putting up the proper walls. He introduces them, both girls smiling at the group. Jongin translates, the Daknaes giving them small bows in return. Some of them stare openly at Yuna since her teeth look so unique, looking like pointed needles and all. She isn’t offended though, even when the little girl holding Kyungsoo’s hand hides behind his leg in fear. She just laughs and takes it all in stride.  
  
Soon enough, the Daknae people grow comfortable enough to walk around, curiosity swimming in their eyes with a vibrant amber color. He sees some of them stare at his ship in awe, the massive vessel propped at the bottom of the hill, on the opposite side from where Jongin and his people came in. Kyungsoo smiles to himself. The Daknae people seem to be so closed off that most of them probably never experienced any other cultures besides their own until now. This is all new territory for them. He chuckles, though, when he sees the little girl from before get lifted up and twirled around by a crew member of his, her high pitched giggles filling the air.  
  
He hears someone approach him from behind and feels a hand gently touch the small of his back. He look so his right to see Jongin, his eyes swimming with different hues of soft oranges. “Some of them wanted me to tell you that they want to help you build the shelters.”  
  
Kyungsoo peaks around Jongin to see a group of people looking at him expectantly. “Oh. Yeah sure that would be great. I’ll group them with some of the crew.” Jongin grins at him and nods at them. They smile brightly and follow Kyungsoo, splitting off here and there when the Lead Commander assigns them to groups. His people accept the new helpers with open arms, showing them what to do and how to use the tools.  
  
Jongin walks with him when they drop off the last few Daknaes. He reaches between them and hold his hand, shooting the Lead Commander a grateful look. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. I hope you know this.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. “Of course Jongin. I’ll always be there for you.” He glances to the elder from earlier, huddled together with a few other older Daknaes. “I just hope your people are okay with all of this.”  
  
Jongin shakes his head. “I told them that your crew studied our people and that you could be trusted. I also told them that I told you everything.”  
  
Kyungsoo looks at him with wide eyes. “Are you crazy? I thought you would get in serious trouble if they found out I knew.”  
  
Jongin licks his lips. “Our elder remembered you from the maze.”  
  
Kyungsoo blinked. “Oh.”  
  
Jongin shrugs. “He wasn’t as upset as I thought he would be to be honest. When you walked away he questioned me about you. I told him we were together.”  
  
“Jongin!”  
  
“I had to! He saw our matching necklaces and asked about them. I couldn’t just  _lie_.”  
  
Kyungsoo sighs and rubs his face. Well at least the elder isn’t asking for Jongin’s head. Yet. It’s a looming fear that Kyungsoo has over him, that suddenly the people are just going to turn on them and try to hurt Jongin since he didn’t follow tradition.  
  
Jongin squeezes his hand. “Stop your worrying. Everything will be fine. Let’s go help Minseok. He looks like he’s being attacked.” Kyungsoo looks to the Lieutenant and snorts. A Daknae woman is trying to corner him and hold him still. From the way she’s leaning in and pursing her lips, she’s trying to kiss him. Probably to understand their language. Kyungsoo just laughs when he sees Minseok lean his head away desperately, calling out for help.  
  
‘ _This_ ,’ Kyungsoo thinks, ‘ _is karma_.’  
  
He smirks. “I think he’s doing just fine on his own.” Minseok catches sight of him and yells his name frantically, trying to fight the girl off. Kyungsoo just laughs maniacally.

 

~

  
  
  
With their combined efforts, all of the shelters were built by nightfall. Kyungsoo’s crew had started a large campfire to make sure there was still enough light to see, the Daknae people looking at the flames with barely concealed awe and wonder. They were all sitting together around the fire in miscellaneous groups, mixed together. Despite the language barriers, all of them were having a great time. Some of the Daknaes learned their language by kissing the crew members, but others were too shy to do so and just settled with communicating through hand gestures and facial expressions.  
  
Jongin and a few members of his people were talking adamantly, Kyungsoo getting a content smile at the scene. Jongin’s eyes are so bright with happiness right now, the skin around his eyes sparking a neon orange. They were happily passing around food from the ship’s cargo supplies, when the elder from before stood and gestured to Jongin, saying a few hushed words. Jongin stops breathing and looks to Kyungsoo with an amethyst color creeping into his eyes. The Lead Commander gives him a worried look. “Jongin?”  
  
He gulps and stands to go walk over to the elder. All of the Daknae people get quiet and look at the scene, causing the others to do the same. Jongin kneels before him and bows his head. Kyungsoo gets a flash of anxiety. Is he going to hurt him?  
  
The Daknae woman beside him, Seulgi, puts her hand on his shoulder. “This is the final ceremony for him,” she says, able to speak his language from having kissed Minseok earlier.  
  
“The final ceremony?”  
  
She nods. “It’s what we do when one of us fulfills their life purpose. Some people can go their whole lives without having it done. It’s the highest honor you can receive.”  
  
Kyungsoo swallows hard and watches carefully. The elder signals Seulgi to stand up, telling her something in their language. Seulgi does, she looks around at everyone. “Our Elder would like me to translate to you all as he speaks.” The man nods looking out at them all and says his words, the entire crowd so quiet you could hear a pin drop. When he finishes, Seulgi speaks.  
  
“We do not usually partake in sharing our culture with others, for it goes against the very beliefs we stand for. Today you showed us great hospitality, for that we are all eternally grateful and are willing to walk among you just this one time.” She pauses, looking to the elder for him to continue. He does, letting the foreign words spill off his tongue in long sentences, seemingly never taking a break for air.  
  
“You helped our young savior and gave him shelter when he was in need. We can see why he speaks so highly of you all. You are truly kind hearted people and we will never forget the debt we owe you for helping him along.” The elder looks down to Jongin and speaks again, Seulgi translating right after. “Our young Traveler, perhaps the youngest of your kind. You brought us a high honor by bringing us to our new home. Our Dakartius. To thank you, we wish to offer you a seat on the council. You will become a fellow elder to our people and help them live their lives and fulfil their purpose just as you did with yours. Or, you may leave and do whatever your heart guides you to do.”  
  
Jongin looks up at the elder, his eyes wide and his jaw slack. He just looks so happy and relieved but- he looks to Kyungsoo, the Lead Commander making eye contact with him. Even from this distance, he sees a pale peach swirl into his eyes and take over the orange. He looks back at the elder, expression torn. The elder just smiles knowingly, asking a soft question. Jongin licks his lips, eyes darting from Kyungsoo and back to his fellow Daknae in front of him. He nods frantically.  
  
The elder looks to Kyungsoo as well and then to the rest of the crowd. His chin is held high and his voice is booming, the scar across his face looking more like a dark shadow from the bright flames of the fire. Seulgi looks at him hesitantly after he speaks, getting an encouraging nod from the elder. “Jongin has chosen. We will now take part in one of the oldest traditions our people have. We invite you to watch only if you promise never to share what happens here.”  
  
Seulgi looks down at Kyungsoo and the Lead Commander glances at his people. “This is highly classified information. It is not to be shared with anyone outside of this ship, got it?”  
  
There are sounds of acknowledgment from his crew so Kyungsoo looks to the elder and gives a curt nod. “We will start the ceremony now,” Seulgi says, sitting back down.  
  
It is completely and utterly silent for a few minutes. None of Kyungsoo’s crew members dare to make a sound. Suddenly there is a low humming coming from the Daknae people and the elder begins a soft chant. It’s a beautiful tune and Kyungsoo would have probably been in awe like the rest of his crew, but he was too worried for Jongin.  
  
Jongin is still kneeling, his eyes closed and head facing the sky. From his place, it looked like he may have been shaking. Kyungsoo mistakes it for fear and feels worry wash over him like a tidal wave.  
  
The elder puts his hands to Jongin’s face, gently covering it. The humming gets louder and louder until they hit a crescendo, abruptly stopping so all that could be heard was the fire crackling around the wood. The elder speaks, one last time, words short and terse.  
  
“ _You are free_ ,” Seulgi whispers from her spot next to him.  
  
There is a bright flash where the elder’s hands connect to Jongin’s face. Jongin lets out a short scream in pain, recoiling violently and falling onto his side. He curls up and holds his face tightly. Kyungsoo leaps up and runs to his side immediately, cradling him to his chest. “Jongin? Jongin talk to me. What’s wrong?”  
  
Jongin is shaking violently, sobs racking through him as he brings his hands away from his face. There is a pale grey mark seemingly burned into Jongin’s skin, the mark running from the right side of his temple and down the the left side of his jaw in a straight line. Kyungsoo cups his face, on the verge of having a meltdown until he notices the sobs Jongin is letting out aren’t at all out of sadness or pain.  
  
They’re out of relief.  
  
Jongin hugs Kyungsoo tightly, face scrunched up and tears running down his face. He’s a mess and he’s getting snot all over Kyungsoo’s shirt, but Kyungsoo doesn’t mind. He just holds him tightly as Jongin cries into his shoulder, hiccuping every once in a while.  
  
“I’m free Kyungsoo,” Jongin whispers, his eyes sparking several shades of orange. He digs his face into the crook of his neck. “I’m finally free.”

 

~

  
  
  
“Main engines ready?”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
“Boosters?”  
  
“Powered up and ready to use, sir.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods, gripping onto his seat. “Let’s get her up then.” He pushes a few buttons before pulling a lever down slowly, the ship humming as the landing gear retracts and the engines force the ship to hover. He presses a few more buttons and adjusts the trajectory. “Engage boosters.”  
  
“Engaging boosters,” Minseok says from his spot in the room, pulling down a lever of his own and making the tilt. The ship suddenly shoots up, the sound loud even from inside. They begin to leave the atmosphere, main engines kicking in only when they’ve reached the openness of space. Kyungsoo gets up. “Good job everyone. Don’t announce the jump to lightspeed just yet. I need to go check on something before we do.” He looks to Minseok. “Can you take care of the flight deck for a bit?”  
  
Minseok nods. “Of course Lead Commander.”  
  
Kyungsoo smiles, about to leave when one of the members of the navigational crew speaks up. “Lead Commander Do?” Kyungsoo looks at them in question. “Tell Jongin he’s not alone. He still has us.”  
  
Kyungsoo blinks in surprise, taken back by all of the sincere smiles coming from the rest of the flight deck. “We’re all here for him if he needs it,” someone else says.  
  
Kyungsoo feels his heart leap, a proud look growing on his face. He loves his crew so much. “Of course. I’ll give him the message.” He pats Minseok as he walks by to go to the elevator, stepping in as soon as the door swooshes open.  
  
He steps into the main hallway to find it buzzing with life. He stops one of the workers, asking if he’s seen Jongin anywhere. The woman nods, telling him he’s been at the public viewing deck since they left. Kyungsoo thanks her and makes his way there, stopping when he sees a lone figure sitting all by himself in the abandoned area in front of the large window, stretching from the ground all the way to the high rising ceiling a few meters off the ground. Jongin has his legs crossed Indian style and his back is hunched forwards, his hair falling into his eyes. When Kyungsoo gets closer, he sees him playing with his fingers. The Lead Commander can’t help but to frown at how small and lonely Jongin looks.  
  
Kyungsoo goes over and sits beside him. Jongin looks up at him but turns back to look out the window. Kyungsoo looks at the grey tinted scar running across his face. He was told by Seulgi that night that it’s a symbol of his freedom, but to him it just looks like a reminder of Jongin’s past and all the suffering he went through. Then again, maybe Jongin doesn’t see it that way. “Are you okay?”  
  
They had left the Daknae people a little after the ceremony. They figured they didn’t want to overstay their welcome and left when they could, allowing the Daknaes to keep all of the cargo boxes of food so they would be able to live comfortably until they adjusted. The elder seemed to appreciate that, having Seulgi translate his gratefulness to him many times for taking care of them and Jongin. Kyungsoo had just smiled and bowed, saying he’ll continue to take good care of him in the future.  
  
It was hard for Jongin to say goodbye. He started crying again once he boarded the ship. Kyungsoo can’t even begin to imagine how it feels. He just got his people back and now he has to leave them again. The Lead Commander tried to tell him to stay a bit, that he would come back and pick him up another time but Jongin refused. ‘ _I already made my choice to leave_ ’ he had said, ‘ _I’m not allowed to stay now_ ’. To which Kyungsoo felt immense guilt because he knows the Daknae chose to leave to stay with him. He somehow feels that he cheated Jongin out of something so important, to have a place to belong and be himself around others of the same culture.  
  
Jongin sighs. “I think so. I really don’t know how to feel about the whole thing. I know I did right by bringing them back but now I’m leaving them all on their own. What if something happens?”  
  
Kyungsoo puts a hand on Jongin’s thigh. “They’ll be fine Jongin. Nothing will happen. They’re safe out here. They’re nowhere near the rebellion and the closest inhabited planet is solar systems away.”  
  
Jongin hums, staring out at the blue and green planet the ship is traveling away from. Kyungsoo tilts his head and looks at him. “The other members of the crew asked me to tell you they’re here for you if you need them.”  
  
Jongin’s lips pull into a dazzling smiling, eyes not moving from the planet in front of them. “That’s really kind of them.”  
  
Kyungsoo nods and adjusts himself, leaning back on his hands and straightening his legs out in front of him. He stares out the window as well. “You know.” Jongin looks at him. “Seokjin wanted me to tell you that if you want, he can give you a position with us. He said if you go through the mandatory six month training for officer school, he'd be willing to give you a guaranteed position working under another Lead Commander friend of mine in need of a left hand man.”  
  
Jongin seems to perk up at that. “What’s his name?”  
  
“Lead Commander Byun Baekhyun. He’s a bit of a princess sometimes but he’s pretty great. His previous officer was transferred to another sector so he’s a man down.”  
  
“What would I be doing?”  
  
Kyungsoo shrugs. “It depends on what cases he accepts. You’ll be in the same position as Minseok though. He’ll probably be able to tell you more about it than I can.”  
  
Jongin bites his lip, staring at him until Kyungsoo stares back. His eyes are their usual pale peach, the color matching the bright glow of Kyungsoo’s necklace hiding underneath his uniform. Jongin leans in, kissing his cheek but not withdrawing fully. Kyungsoo cranes his neck to the side to brush their lips against each other in a sweet kiss.  
  
Jongin smiles and lets their foreheads bump. “I love you Do Kyungsoo.”  
  
Kyungsoo grins, pressing another chaste kiss to the corner of the Daknae’s mouth. He stares at the scar crossing over his face, beginning to love it more since it just makes him stand out, somehow complementing his already ethereal appearance. “I love you too Kim Jongin.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure what the future has in store for them, how Jongin will take officer training or if everything will work out as perfectly as he thinks it will. In the end, though, that doesn’t matter. The only important thing is that they have each other. Wherever Kyungsoo goes, Jongin will follow.  
  
Because now they're caught in a comet’s tail, neither of them existing without each other.

 

 

~

  _fin_  

~

  
  



	8. Surprise!

Hey guys! Long time no see! I just wanted to drop by and say I decided to write little one shots and drabbles as a sort of continuation of this story. If you want the link it’s here: [x](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9299006)

 

Thanks again for giving so much love to this story~ You guys are so amazing <3

 

-sam


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